


The Cats Meow

by Angelleap77, LinkCat



Series: The Family Curse [2]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Being Lost, Divorce, F/F, F/M, Heartbreak, M/M, Multi, Predator/Prey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-10 20:48:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 33,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17433281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelleap77/pseuds/Angelleap77, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: Predators have always been a problem for Troll Village, but an incident is about to scare them all.Chapter 1 summary:Smidge gives Branch a huge scare.





	1. Worst Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 2 of "The Family Curse." Everything will make more since if you read part 1 first. :)

It had been five years since Branch’s village had completely settled into Troll Village, and Stream and Aquamarine had become mates. Life in Troll Village had gone without any drama the last five years. Poppy, Guy Diamond, and Fairy had started to rule the kingdom, and everyone seemed very happy.

Some of the families had had more kids. Poppy had a two-year-old son, who looked like Guy Diamond, but had light pink hair. His name was Alexandrite, but everyone just called him Alex. Creek and DJ Suki also had recently had a baby. Their seven-month-old was a girl, whom was raspberry colored with long orange hair, and her name was Symphony. Aquamarine and Stream had a four-year-old boy, who was lavender colored with light blue hair. His name was Flick. Smidge and Branch had also had another son, who was three years old. He was yellow like Smidge, with royal blue hair. He was dwarf sized. They named him Moonlight.

Smidge was heavily pregnant with her third biological child. She was sprawled out on the couch, watching her three older boys as they attempt to catch Moonlight to put a pair of pants on him. They were all going to go over to play at Poppy, Guy Diamond, and Fairy’s home so she could get some sleep. She had threatened to smack Branch around if she had another boy. They had enough boys. She wanted a little girl to dress up and love on.

Basil caught Moonlight and pinned his little brother down. Sky quickly got his pants on and picked him up.

“We’re ready dad.” Twig walked over to Branch and smiled up at him. Despite his evil spirit, the boy was relatively calm and passive. At six and a half years old, he only showed signs of his evil spirit when he was angry, and even then, he was passive aggressive most of the time.

“I will be right back Smidge.” Branch kissed her, and then headed out the door with their four boys.

“Alright…” Smidge closed her eyes and tried to relax. Now was a good time to get some sleep.

Branch left the bunker and headed towards the royal flower pod. He knew his boys were excited to play with their five kids.

Basil had Sky by the arm. He rarely left Sky’s side. He was still learning how to get around outside, and still occasionally tripped on things, but he was slowly becoming more independent. He didn’t let his blindness slow him down at all.

Sky had Moonlight in his arms. He could feel Basil’s hand grasp his arm. He was used to being Basil’s guide. He was very protective of his older twin.

Once at the royal flower pod, Branch knocked on the door. He smiled when Pearl answered the door. “Good morning Princess Pearl.” He laughed when Basil tackled her to the ground.

Basil was always very happy to visit Pearl. He tackled the eight-year-old trolling to the ground and hugged her tight. “My Pearl!”

Pearl giggled and began to wrestle with Basil. She was smaller then he was, but easily overpowered him. She got him on his back and smirked. “Gotcha!” She had learned to use her hair as a second arm, and she had him pinned down good.

“You’re brave to leave Smidge for long. She looked like she was ready to pop the last time we came to visit.” Guy Diamond nudged him towards the bunker. “We will take care of them. Have a good day.”

“Thank you for watching them.” Branch smiled and headed home. He didn’t want to be away from Smidge either. She was in danger this time around. She was carrying a normal sized child and giving birth could prove to be fatal for her.

Smidge was about to doze off when she had a contraction. She got up and walked towards the elevator shaft. She pushed a lever to have it come down, but it didn’t move. She flushed and pushed it again. “Come on…” She grumbled when it didn’t go down.

Branch got back to the bunker and got on the elevator shaft. He went to push the lever to have it go down, but it didn’t work. “Damn thing.” He pulled out his tool box and began working on fixing it.

Smidge heard Branch and looked up to the level he was at. “Hurry Branch, I think I’m in labor.”

Branch’s eyes went wide. He began working quickly. He was concerned for her safety. “Hold on dear. I am working as fast as possible.”

Smidge went back to the couch and laid down. She winced and held her belly as she had another contraction. She hoped this wasn’t going to take too long. She was scared that the baby would try to come before she could get to the medical pod.

After an hour of fixing, trial and error, and lots of cursing, Branch got his elevator shaft fixed. He went down to the bottom floor and hurried over to Smidge. “I’ve got you sweetheart.” He picked her up and hurried back to the elevator shaft. He began to head up.

“Oh my god…” Smidge held her belly and let out a cry of pain. “I’m not going to make it to the medical pod. This kid is trying to come now…”

Branch felt his heart race. He could feel blood pool onto his clothes from Smidge. He was scared. “We will make it.”

“This child is killing me!” Smidge screamed in pain and held tight to his vest.

Branch put his hand down to check her as he hurried. He could feel the baby was right there. He ran faster but kept a hold of her so that if the baby managed to pass through, he or she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

“I swear, if this child is another boy, I am going to kill you!” Smidge said angrily. She was in excruciating amounts of pain. The baby was tearing her up on its way out.

Branch got to the medical pod and set her down on a bed. He grabbed their newborn daughter as she was delivered. She was light green with blue green hair. She was normal sized and began to cry once she was cleaned up with a blanket. “Help!” He didn’t like all this blood. He was petrified that he was going to lose Smidge.

“Good…a girl…” Smidge took a shaky breath. “I want her to be named after my grandma, Kayura.” She passed out shortly after from blood loss.

Honey rushed over and began to heal Smidge. “Oh my god, why didn’t you two come sooner?!” She looked worried about Smidge. She had lost a lot of blood.

Mama Goldie hurried over and saw that Smidge had lost a lot of blood. “Give me your arm Branch.” She grabbed his arm and began drawing blood from him. Once she had some of his blood, she moved to Smidge and began to give it to her. She was very worried that the little mama was going to die.

“My elevator shaft broke.” Branch let Mama Goldie take his blood, and then watched as they worked on his wife. He held little Kayura close and sniffled as tears ran down his cheeks. “Please don’t die on me…”


	2. Into The Flower Pod

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a near death experience, Branch makes the decision to move out of the bunker.

Once Smidge was stabilized, Branch walked towards DJ Suki and Creek’s home. He got there and knocked on the door. He had little Kayura in his arms. She hadn’t had a chance to nurse yet and was crying. She was hungry.

DJ Suki got to the door and answered it. Her eyes went wide when she saw Branch covered in blood and a newborn in his arms. “What happened?!” She had a bad feeling Smidge was gone.

“It’s a long story, but I need help immediately. Smidge just had our daughter Kayura and can’t nurse right now. Please feed her?” He gently gave Kayura to DJ Suki.

“Of course.” DJ Suki took the little one and began to feed her. “Is Smidge alright?!” She was worried that the blood she saw on Branch may have been from Smidge. She was slightly relieved. It appeared Smidge was still alive.

“No, she is not alright. She gave birth naturally, and the baby was too big. She almost died.” Branch buried his face into his hands and began to cry. “My elevator shaft broke down when she went into labor. If I hadn’t got down there in time, she would be dead.”

Creek walked over and frowned, seeing all the blood and Branch’s upset aura. “Come on, go shower. We will take care of the baby.” He led him towards the shower. He was worried about him and Smidge. “We will work out the kinks as they come. It sounds like it was an accident. She is alive, and that is what matters.”

DJ Suki finished feeding Kayura and went to put her in a diaper. She put one on her, and then began going through Symphony’s onesies so the little one had something to wear. She found one and put her in it. She had a hard time believing this little one came out of Smidge naturally. She seemed a bit large for poor Smidge’s petite frame.

Branch went into their bathroom, stripped down, and began to shower. He washed the blood off his skin and finished quickly. He got out and dried himself off. He poked his head out when he was done. “Creek, can I borrow a pair of pants until I can get home and change?”

“Yep!” Creek handed him a pair and smirked when he got a glance of him nude. He winked at him and headed back to the living space to tend to his kids.

Branch grumbled about how weird Creek was and put on his pants. He dried off his hair and headed back outside. He started looking around for a spot to make a flower pod. He wasn’t going to risk this day happening again. He was going to make them a flower pod. He found a spot not far from the bunker and began making one. He had a very determined look on his face. He was going to get this done before the sun set on the horizon.

About an hour later, Creek, Biggie, and Guy Diamond joined Branch. All four worked on the flower pod and got it done with an hour to spare before the sun set.

Branch made a few homie touches, and then stepped back and inspected their work. “Thank you three for the help.” He pulled out a notepad from his hair and wrote down some notes. “I’ll come pick up my kids in about half an hour. I am going to go check on Smidge.”

“We can babysit your older kids Branch. Take the evening off.” Guy Diamond smiled softly. “Smidge needs you.”

“We can watch Kayura. She’s going to need to nurse from DJ anyway.” Creek smiled and gave him a few pats on the back.

“I’m going to come check on her with you Branch.” Biggie looked worried. Smidge was tough, but from what he heard, she had been right near death’s door. That was scary to think about.

“Thank you for watching my kids, both of you.” Branch gave Biggie a nod and then headed for the medical pod. He hadn’t heard anything, so he hoped that was a good sign. He got to the medical pod and walked over to Smidge’s bedside.

Biggie was right behind him and sat on the other side of her bed.

Smidge woke up, hearing them both come in. She looked between them and groaned, feeling weak from blood loss. “I’m dizzy…” She glared at Branch. “Where is Kayura?”

“She needs another blood transfusion.” Mama Goldie was glad to see Branch. “Are you up to giving some more Branch?”

“I will give her some of mine.” Biggie smiled softly. He hated the sight of blood, but he would do it for his bestie.

“Thank you, Biggie.” Branch took Smidge’s hand. “Kayura is with DJ and Creek. She is just fine and is in good hands.” He kissed her gently. “Biggie, Creek, Guy, and I worked on making a flower pod. We do not need another emergency like that where the elevator shaft breaks at the same time. You almost died.”

Smidge nibbled on his lips a bit but was too weak to do anything else. “I’d bite that nose off if I could. Kayura did nearly kill me.” She was only half serious about her threats. “I’m glad we’re moving out. I don’t want to die on you.”

Mama Goldie drew some of Biggie’s blood and began giving it to Smidge.

“I’m glad you didn’t die.” Biggie didn’t watch the blood. He was feeling a little woozy.

“I’m glad you didn’t die too.” Branch rubbed his lip where she nibbled. “I am also glad to see you are still feisty.”

“It’s going to take more then a little blood loss to kill me over.” Smidge smiled softly and closed her eyes. She was exhausted.

“Get some rest mama. We need you strong and healthy. Our baby girl needs you.” Branch kissed her forehead and crawled into bed with her. He spooned her and closed his eyes. He was so glad she was alright.


	3. Blind Struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil has a hard time adjusting to the new home.

A couple days later, Smidge was well enough to go home. Branch got her settled in bed with Kayura and went to go get the kids. Once at Guy Diamond’s he knocked on the door.

Fairy answered the door and smiled up at him. “Oh, thank god you are here. Your demon children miss you.”

“Oh god, what did they do now?” Branch looked around their living space and saw that it looked like a tornado had went through it.

“What haven’t they done?” Fairy grinned and turned around. “Basil, Sky, Twig, Moon! Your dad is here!”

Basil came blasting through the living space, tripping up on some of the toys, before tackling into his dad. “Daddy!” He buried his face into his vest. “I missed you!”

Habanero chased after Moon and groaned when he got picked up. “Aww…I was having fun…” He crossed his arms and plopped on the floor with a huff.

River walked out with Sky. They had been talking about school work. Both were advanced in reading. They were talking about their favorite books. She waved good bye to him as he walked over to Branch.

“Bye Twig.” Jewel watched him wonder over to his daddy.

Once all the kids were gathered up, Branch started to walk home. “Basil, you’re going to have to take your time in the new home. Feel around, and touch everything. It’s going to take a while to get use to the new home.”

Basil frowned and crossed his arms. He didn’t think that his dad had been serious about the new home. “We are going back to the bunker.”

“No son, we moved.” Branch smiled softly. He knew Basil hated change.

“No! We are going to the bunker!” Basil huffed. He was not amused at all.

Branch sighed and got to the flower pod. He went in and set Moonlight down. “We are home.” He went to check on Smidge.

Basil carefully stepped in and began making his way around the flower pod. He touched everything and frowned, not liking the way everything was arranged. He didn’t like change. His cheeks were flushed red. He was very angry.

Twig went to claim a bedroom. He wasn’t going to give his brother a chance to pick first.

Sky walked with Basil and explained to him where everything was. He could see that Basil was mad, but he understood it. He didn’t like that they moved out of the bunker either.

Basil stubbed his toe on a table leg. He pushed it hard and yelled at the table. “Stupid table!” He bonked his head when he went to stand and stumbled back. He rubbed his head and straightened up. He frowned and waved his hands around. He was disoriented now.

Sky led him to the couch and frowned when he realized Basil was still lost. He felt bad for him.

“I’m going to pee my pants.” Basil announced suddenly. He had needed to go but didn’t like asking for help. He held himself and frowned as his pants started to get wet.

Sky took his free hand and led him towards the bathroom. He turned and saw Basil had wet himself already. “Dad?” He called Branch.

Branch came walking towards the bathroom and frowned, seeing a trail of pee from the couch to the bathroom. It was the first time since he was three that the poor kid had peed his pants. “I’m sorry son.” He helped him out of his wet clothes and began to run a bath.

“Basil peed his pants.” Twig had his hand over his mouth and grinned. He was amused.

Basil flushed and glared in Twig’s direction. He was embarrassed. 

“Be nice Twig. He’s not used to our new home.” Branch picked Basil up and set him in the bath tub. 

“I bet he will wet the bed next.” Twig smiled and headed back to his room.

Sky stripped down and got into the tub with Basil. He began trying to play with him, but Basil wasn’t having it. He was in a bad mood.

Branch sighed and picked up the soiled clothes. He took care of them. He went to clean up the pee trail too, and then went to check on Smidge.

“Everything alright with Basil?” Smidge had overheard that he had peed his pants.

“He had an accident. I wish he had told me that he had to go.” Branch sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. “He doesn’t like the new home. He wants to go to the bunker.”

“He will get use to the new home. It’s alright.” Smidge shifted and got up. She set Kayura in the crib, and then walked over and hugged into Branch. “I know why you moved us here, and I appreciate it. You are trying to take care of us.”

“Yes I am. He’ll understand eventually. He needs to learn that change is frustrating but necessary.” Branch ran his hand through her long blue green hair. “I love you.”

“I love you too Branch.” Smidge crawled into his lap and snuggled. She knew it was going to be hard, but she was happy he did it.


	4. Revenge Is Bitter Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basil and Twig share sibling rivalry.

A couple of days had gone by since moving into the new flower pod. Basil had slowly adjusted to the new flower pod. Cherry had come home the same day they had moved in, from visiting Pistachio and removed Twig from the best bedroom in the house. She had settled in and spent most of her time in her room studying, or outside hanging out with Pistachio. She had formed a close bond to him.

Twig ended up with the second smallest room. Moon got the smallest. Basil and Sky got a decent sized room. They still slept in the same bed together. Those two boys didn’t like being apart long.

When Sky fell asleep, Basil got up and headed out of the bedroom. He needed to go potty, but instead of going to the bathroom, he headed for Twig’s room. He had a smirk on his face as he made his way towards his brother’s bed. He grinned, noticing that his brother was snoring lightly. He positioned himself so that he was at the foot of Twig’s bed. He pulled his pants down, took aim, and began to pee on Twig’s bed.

Twig mumbled in his sleep. He woke up, feeling a warm wetness pool at his legs. He shot up and widened his eyes. He got out of bed and went to turn on the light. “Basil!” He frowned and ran to his parents’ bedroom. “Dad! Basil peed on my bed!”

Basil grinned and pulled his pants up. He headed for his bedroom and slipped into bed. He pretended to fall asleep.

Branch got up and yawned. He headed out of the bedroom and frowned. “That doesn’t sound like something he would do.” He went to check Twig’s bed and found that it was indeed soiled. He sighed and began changing Twig’s bedding. “Did you wet the bed Twig? It’s not good to lie.”

“No! Basil did it!” Twig crossed his arms. His night wear was wet from his brother’s pee.

Branch went to check on Basil and saw that he appeared to be sleeping. He grumbled and went to run a bath. He took Twig’s clothes off and set him in the bath. “Clean up Twig.”

Moonlight heard the bath and got out of bed. He hurried over and stripped out of his clothes. He climbed in and began splashing happily. He loved water as much as Basil did.

Twig hated baths and grit his teeth when his baby brother joined him in the tub. He grumbled quietly and began to wash up. He was already trying to think of what he would do to get revenge on Basil. He was livid.

The next day, Twig began to move things around the house just enough that his parents didn’t notice. He grinned as Basil tripped and ran into things. He was very amused.

Basil was covered in bruises by the end of the day. Every time he thought he had the house figured out, he would find that something was moved. He soon realized it was Twig that did it. He began to think of a way to get revenge.

When everyone went to bed, Basil pulled one of Kayura’s dirty diapers out of the bathroom. This one was full of poop. He carried it into Twig’s room and opened it. He laid it down under Twig’s pillow, and then left to go to bed.

The following morning, Branch and Smidge woke up to a shriek. They both scrambled out of bed and hurried to Twig’s room.

Twig had ended up getting his hand in the diaper in the middle of the night, and had smeared it all over his bed and on himself. 

Branch groaned and rubbed his temples. “You boys are killing me…”

Smidge grumbled and took Twig’s hand. She headed for the bathroom and began to run a bath. “Why are you covered in poop?”

“I don’t know.” Twig was grossed out and kept gagging.

Branch stripped down the bed and found the diaper. He gritted his teeth. “Basil!!!” He grabbed the diaper and went to throw it away.

Basil got up and headed for Twig’s room. “Yes daddy?”

“Would you like to explain to me why there was a dirty diaper in your brother’s bed?” Branch wasn’t amused.

“I don’t know.” Basil shrugged but had a big grin on his face.

“Don’t lie to me son. I know Sky wouldn’t have done it, and I don’t think it was Moon that did it either.” Branch crossed his arms.

“Maybe he likes snuggling with shit.” Basil startled when Smidge grabbed him by the ear. “Ow!”

Smidge walked Basil to a corner and had him stand in it. “You will not be cussing like that young man! You are to stand here for fifteen minutes. Think of what you have done.” She was not amused.

Branch went to take care of the poop covered laundry. He was hoping these boys would start to behave. They had enough to worry about with a newborn in the house. They were not helping with their stress levels.


	5. They Purr At Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troll Village is attacked by a pack of predators.

A couple months had gone by since Kayura was born. It was the beginning of fall, and everyone was getting busy with the normal preparations prewinter. Everyone was tired as they settled down for the night. Little did they know, there was a pack of Tokami who had found the territory. They had picked up on the delicious scent of trolls.

Tokami were a large cat type species. They resembled bobcats, with long sleek tails. They came in a few different colors. They came dark in color ranging from grays to darker browns or blacks, with stripes or spots. They preyed on several different species in the forest, but they had a special taste for trolls. Trolls to them, where the equivalent of mice to house cats. They worked together in packs and would hunt their pray so that they had over fifty percent success rate in capturing a meal. They would have one corner the prey, and then two would jump at the prey from behind. They were a very successful species.

The alpha of the Tokami lead his pack into the troll territory. He pulled down a flower pod from a tree branch and opened it with his claws. Unfortunately, it was Mama Goldie’s flower pod. She let out a loud scream, before she was snatched up and eaten.

The loud scream woke everyone up. Peppy came out of the flower pod and widened his eyes. He saw the alpha and hurried over to Honey. “We need to be very quiet. Dim your aura and hide Bee in your hair. We have got to leave, now…” He ran to Bumble’s bed and put him in his hair. “Be quiet baby.” He headed outside and ran towards a bush. He blended in. He sighed in relief when Honey joined him with Bee.

Poppy, Fairy, and Guy Diamond had also woken up. They led their children out of the flower pod but were not as sleek about it as Peppy and Honey. When the Tomaki ran towards them, they scattered. Fairy took Pearl to the bushes and had her blend in. Guy Diamond, Jewel, and River ran to a mushroom and hid under there. Poppy had Alexandrite in her arms. She felt claws rake her back, before she squeezed into a rocky crevasse. She closed her eyes tight and tucked Alexandrite into her hair. She could feel blood run down her back. She was shaking as Alexandrite screamed and cried in her hair. He was frightened. She winced and held her belly. She was pregnant, and the attack had caused her to go into preterm labor. She was only four months along. “Oh my god no…”

Habanero had been separated from his family but was quickly scooped up by Pistachio. He ran with the trolling as fast as he could out of the territory. He didn’t look back. He was terrified.

As more trolls left their homes, more trolls scattered. Cherry had grabbed Moonlight and Basil and ran as fast as she could. She spotted Pistachio and followed him.

Several other young trollings had also seen Cherry and Pistachio run. They followed, scared out of their minds.

“Everyone hide and minimize your auras!” Creek ran around and tried to find Rhythm. He had become separated from him and was very worried that he was going to lose his boy. Instead of finding him, he found Stream and Aquamarine, whom were both very heavily pregnant. He helped them hide. He was very worried about his family.

“Flick panicked and ran off. I have to find our son.” Aquamarine was sobbing. He didn’t want to lose another family member.

“You need to stay here. Your pod would be in grave danger.” Creek looked worried for them both.

Stream sobbed and hugged Aquamarine tight. He was very scared for their son.

Harper had seen Flick and had picked him up. She had run off after Cherry, with the other group of trollings. She had the same mindset that they all needed to get out of there.

Fuzzbert saw that Vanilla had become separated from her mom and aunt. He saw that she was about to be pounced on. He pushed her out of the way and screamed as he was caught and consumed.

Vanilla squealed and screamed when Sprout grabbed her and ran away. He wasn’t going to let the little trolling get eaten.

As all the trolls scrambled around and tried to hide, the Tokami had a feast. Between ten of them, they had eaten thirty-six trolls in total. Satisfied for now, they left.

Peppy watched them go, and then came out and hurried towards where he saw Poppy hide. He got to the crevasse and frowned, seeing that she was sobbing and holding her tiny baby bump. “I’m here sweetheart.” He whispered. He looked at Honey and motioned her over.

Honey hurried over and frowned, seeing a considerable amount of blood. She began to heal Poppy, but it was too late for the baby. She could see that she was in full blown labor.

Poppy could feel the sting leave her back. She breathed hard and tried not to push. She was petrified. “Please make it stop. It’s not fair…” She tried so hard not to make a lot of noises. She felt Guy Diamond take her hand. She looked up and sniffled. “I can’t stop it…”

Fairy walked over and felt her heart sink. She had lost a baby just a couple years earlier, but she wasn’t as far along as Poppy was. She knew how much losing a baby hurt.

Honey went to grab a blanket. She quickly returned and delivered the stillborn. She wrapped the little one up and gave her to Poppy. She stepped back and looked at Peppy. “I know the Tokami. They will be back. We have got to go immediately…” She didn’t want to say it, but they didn’t even have time for a proper funeral for Poppy’s stillborn baby.

“I’m going to bury her before we go. Everyone needs to pack up quickly. Bring only what you can carry. We need to go.” Guy Diamond looked among the crowd. There were several trolls missing, but there was no time right now to figure out who was dead and who was alive. They needed to go.

“Her name is Angel.” Poppy sniffled and held the tiny bundle. She was very weak and extremely upset.

Fairy ran her hand through Poppy’s hair and sniffled. She had no idea where Habanero went and was afraid, he had fallen victim to the attack. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was very scared. She was also heavily pregnant and was worried about her baby too.

Branch was looking around for Cherry, Moonlight, and Basil. He couldn’t find them. He returned to Smidge, Twig, Sky, and Kayura. He had gray. Everyone had gone gray. They had lost so many villagers.

A few hours after the attack happened, and everyone was all set and ready, they began to move south. They were hoping to find a better home away from the Tokami.


	6. Lost Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group of children return to Troll Village.

A group of thirteen children, the oldest being Sprout at one month shy of seventeen, and the youngest being Moonlight at three, had all camped out outside of the village for the night. As the sun rose up, Sprout, Harper, Pistachio, Cherry, Layla, Lulu, Keith, Basil, Moonlight, Habanero, Vanilla, Flick, and Rhythm all began to make their way towards Troll Village.

Troll Village was in shambles. There were flower pods knocked down and crushed. There was the scent of death all around them. There were pools of blood all over the place. There was no sign of any of their parents anywhere. The dead were eaten, and the living had left.

“This is not a good sign.” Harper swallowed hard. She had Basil in her arms. She had given Cherry a break from carrying him. She had tears in her eyes. She was worried that her parents were dead. She walked over to her home, and found blood smeared all over. She saw bits of hair from her mother. She sobbed as she began grabbing what she could out of the home. She was shaking as she packed up food, water, and blankets.

Basil had his head leaned into Harper’s shoulder. He was mortified. He had heard the screams from where they had hidden in the forest. The sounds of their screams played over again and again in his head. He was so scared. He hadn’t let anyone put him down. He was petrified that something bad was going to happen.

“I don’t think everyone died.” Cherry saw evidence that they had packed up and left. She began looking around for which direction they went. She had Moonlight in her hair.

“I’m going to pack up food and water. We shouldn’t stay here. Those things will come back.” Pistachio went to gather bags. They were all going to have to carry something. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

Sprout went over to his parent’s pod. It was crushed, but he didn’t see evidence that his parents were dead. He sighed in relief and began gathering what he could as far as potions, medicine, food, and clothes were concerned.

Layla gathered up blankets and put them in her backpack. She recalled being very cold in the middle of the night. She also dressed up warm. She was scared.

Flick followed Rhythm and Cherry around. He was very scared.

Habanero kept close to Sprout. Sprout was his uncle, so he knew staying by him was a safe bet.

Lulu pulled her backpack out and emptied it of books. She began putting matches, food, water, and other survival supplies she learned about in school into her bag. She was worried that her parents were dead.

Keith had Vanilla by the hand as he walked over to his home. It appeared that at least one of his parents was dead. The front door had a blood pooled by it. He frowned and stepped inside. He began packing up supplies. He had tears running down his cheeks.

As the kids packed up and gathered what they could, Cherry found the trail that the village had taken. She walked back. “I found the trail they took.” She went to the bunker and entered it. She went down and began gathering what she could carry from it. She knew that her brother had a lot of good items down there for survival. He was crazy prepared after all.

Once all thirteen children were set, they began to walk down the trail. They were very scared and hoped that they would catch up and find their families before they fallen victim to the Tokami.


	7. Not A Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creek and DJ Suki make an unwelcomed discovery.

The village slowly made their way south. The pace was painfully slowly. There were pregnant trolls who couldn’t move very fast. They were all worried that the pregnant trolls would go into labor and deliver before they could find a new place to live. They were very vulnerable right now. Especially at night.

Poppy was too weak from blood loss to walk. She was being carried on a litter. She had Alexandrite snuggled into her arms and Fairy snuggled close to her side. Poppy had insisted she be carried too. They didn’t need her to go into labor yet. She was further along then she had been with Angel, but she still had three weeks left of her pregnancy.

Fairy had her eyes closed. She could feel her baby moving and kicking. So far, the little one seemed to be alright.

Cricket was walking with Satin and Chenille. He had married the fashion twins a year earlier, and they were both pregnant at the same time and appeared to be due around the same time. He was worried about them. Vanilla was missing. He had seen his younger brother run off with her after Fuzzbert had saved her. All three were hopeful that they had survived but kept in mind that it was probably wishful thinking. The tokami had killed so many.

Biggie and Marjoram walked together with their three kids. They seemed to have been lucky, but part of that was thanks to Marjoram’s quick actions. She had gotten Biggie and her babies all hidden before any of the Tokami had noticed them.

Branch and Smidge were walking beside each other. Branch was silent. He was sure that Cherry, Basil, and Moonlight were dead. Smidge had lost both of her parents to the tokami. They were both devastated.

Creek and DJ Suki were walking with Aquamarine and Stream. Melody had Creek’s hand, and DJ Suki had Symphony in her hair.

“Creek? I noticed something about Symphony when those Tokami attacked.” DJ Suki broke the silence. She looked concerned. She pulled her daughter out of her hair and looked at her little girl. “She slept through the whole thing, even when there were trolls running by me screaming.”

“She’s probably just a hard sleeper.” Creek was a little surprised to hear that Symphony hadn’t awaken to the screams, but he couldn’t think of any other reason for her to sleep through it all.

“Perhaps she is deaf?” Aquamarine suggested quietly. He recalled seeing a deaf boy at his first village. He knew it was rare. Especially for trolls. They all loved to sing, and most trolls had very good hearing.

“That sounds possible.” Stream gave Creek a concerned look.

“That’s not funny.” Creek wasn’t amused. He had just lost his blind son. He was scared to think he might have a deaf daughter.

DJ Suki gave Symphony to Creek, and then clapped right behind her head.

Symphony didn’t react. She snuggled into her daddy and laid her head on his shoulder.

“Symphony!” DJ said her name loudly. She frowned when she got no response. “I think Aqua is right…”

Creek’s shoulders slumped. They had had high hopes that Symphony could join Melody with learning how to play instruments. She had acted interested in the drum. He realized now she probably liked the drum because it vibrated. He wasn’t sure how to react, so he stayed quiet.

“No wonder she hadn’t said a word yet. I thought she was just not interested in talking yet.” DJ Suki checked Symphony’s ears. They seemed fine and didn’t appear clogged. She sighed and put her little one back in her hair.

“I can teach you two basic signals so you can communicate with her.” Aquamarine offered quietly. He looked sad for them. They had enough to worry about right now. Now they had to worry over their nine-month-old daughter not being able to hear too. He frowned, feeling a contraction. He clenched his teeth and walked through the pain. He didn’t want to make any noises.

“That would be nice Aqua. Thank you.” DJ Suki saw his expression and frowned. “Are you alright?”

Stream looked up and frowned, seeing that Aquamarine appeared to be in pain.

“I’m fine.” Aquamarine snapped and kept going. “We need to get away from those damn things before they take more of our family.”

“Calm down and watch your language Aqua.” Creek shot a glare towards Aquamarine. Melody was right beside them and he didn’t like when other trolls cursed in front of his kids.

DJ Suki watched Aquamarine but dropped it otherwise.

Stream grabbed Aquamarine’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He knew Aquamarine had been fighting through grief since the night before. He was worried about him and their babies.

Aquamarine quietly held Stream’s hand and kept going. He ignored Creek’s scolding and started to hide the fact that he was feeling contractions. He wanted them as far away from those demon cats as possible. Unfortunately, his silence didn’t last long. About two hours later, Aquamarine stopped and held onto his swollen belly. “Oh my god…” He breathed and squeezed Stream’s hand tight.

Stream stopped with him and frowned, feeling the strength of his squeeze. “Uh oh…” He saw blood running between Aquamarine’s legs. “We need to stop.” He said a little loud. He wanted to make sure they didn’t get left behind.

“Everyone hide please. We need to stop.” Guy Diamond began helping everyone hide. Honey had talked about the Tokami being great trackers, and he was worried that they would still be able to find them.

DJ Suki quietly walked Aquamarine over to a mushroom. She helped him get under it.

Aquamarine went under the mushroom and breathed. He grasped Stream’s hand tight.

Creek grabbed a couple blankets from his bag and walked over. He gave them to Stream and then turned to keep watching for danger. They were very vulnerable right now.

Stream checked to see if the baby was ready to come. He frowned, noticing the baby was a lot closer then he thought. “You didn’t tell us you were in labor until you were this close?” He looked worried. He reached for the baby and caught her as she was born. She began to let out loud cries. She was healthy.

“Oh god, we have to get the baby quiet. We are going to get caught.” Aquamarine breathed hard and looked over at her. She was a lavender glitter baby with light blue and capri blue colored two-toned hair.

It was getting dark, and as if the cries of a newborn were an invitation, the pack of tokami came into the area. They began sniffing around. The got to the mushroom and tried to get to the baby.

Creek widened his eyes. He threw a rock at the tokami and screamed as it gave chase to him. He ran to a rocky crevasse and squeezed in. He had escaped the tokami just in time.

DJ Suki picked up the newborn and began moving Aquamarine and Stream away from the danger. She had Melody hold onto her arm as they moved up a tree and hid in a hollow in the tree. The hole was too small for the tokami to fit through.

Aquamarine breathed and looked at Stream with wide eyes. He was very scared that Creek may have just sacrificed himself. "I hope he is not dead." He looked at his newborn daughter and frowned. He wanted to name her just in case something happened. "Her name is Autumn..." He whispered.

The tokami swarmed the villagers, and feast on eleven more trolls, before giving up on finding the rest. They headed north were they had smelled trollings. They were much easier to catch.


	8. The Tokami Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tokami find the trollings, but the young ones put up a good fight.

The day after Autumn was born, the tokami had made their way back to the trollings. They had become distracted by easy prey on the way towards the trollings. As the sun began to set, they made their way towards the thirteen trollings.

The pace of the thirteen children had been painfully slow. Half the children were younger then seven, and they were a little demanding. Moon had been the most difficult. He had had several tantrums. He wanted his mommy and daddy. They would have to stop and hide, because they feared that the tokami would find them.

Basil needed to go to the bathroom, which had proven to be tricky for the older trollings. He wanted to be carried still, fearing what the ground was like. He had no idea where they were and was scared that the mean tokami would come back. He was with Harper when he pulled his pants down, aimed away from her, and began to pee quietly.

“Oh god, please warn me before you do that.” Harper made a grossed-out face and held him so that he was peeing well away from her. She didn’t feel like being wet with stinky pee. She was really grossed out. The girly trolling hadn’t had a shower in a few days, and she felt gross and stinky.

“I got him.” Pistachio walked over and took the little guy. When he finished, he took Basil over to a bush. “Here kid, let me show you what to do.” He showed him how to potty outside. He wasn’t sure how much longer they were going to be lost, and Basil needed to know how to do this without creeping out the girls.

“We should camp out for the night. It’s getting dark.” Cherry began looking for a place to camp out.

Sprout pulled out two bows and some arrows. He walked over to Harper. “Here, take this.” He gave her a bow and some arrows.

Harper kept the bow and a few arrows close. She sighed and looked around for danger. She didn’t like when she oversaw look out. She feared she would not see the danger in time.

Cherry let out a scream and scrambled under a tree root. A tokami had pounced on her and smacked her in the face with its sharp claws. She held her face. “Oh my god! Everyone needs to hide!” She couldn’t see anything. She felt around and let out a cry when the tokami reached in and swiped at her leg. She backed up and shook hard. She was sure she was going to die.

Pistachio picked Basil up and ran for cover. He also grabbed Habanero. He hid between two rocks. He frowned, hearing a scream.

One of the Tokami had grabbed Lulu. She screamed before being eaten.

Harper got the bow ready and took aim. She hit one of the tokami right in the eye. She saw it flop over and hiss. She picked up Flick and ran for cover. She hid under a rock with him.

Moonlight ran out and called for Basil. He was worried about him. He squealed and let out a sob when one of the tokami grabbed him and ate him.

Vanilla had blended into the bushes with Rhythm. They both screamed when one of the tokami caught them and gobbled them up.

“Damn it! Hide everyone!” Sprout drew an arrow and released it. He hit a kitten in the leg. He grabbed another arrow and aimed at one of the adults. He hit it in the chest, where its heart was. That one fell on its side and stopped moving.

With an adult down, another adult injured, and a kitten injured, the eight of the nine surviving tokami ran off. What they thought was going to be an easy meal, was not an easy meal after all.

The kitten tried to follow, but its leg was hurting. He let out mews and limped a few times before falling over.

Once he was sure that the tokami had left, Sprout ran towards where he had heard Cherry scream. He found her under a tree in the roots. He crawled over to her and began to heal her. Her leg and face were mangled. “Oh god, please be OK…” He looked worried. 

Cherry had played dead, and as soon as she was touched, she startled. She heard Sprout’s voice and sat up. She breathed hard and held her face. “Are the kids alright?”

“We lost some.” Sprout looked worried. “Moonlight, Rhythm, Vanilla, and Lulu.”

“Oh god…” Cherry began to sob. “I didn’t see it coming. I would have warned sooner if I knew…”

“Please don’t cry.” Sprout grabbed some solvent and put it on her eyes. “Mom will be able to heal your eyes. I won’t be able to fix them. I’m sorry. I’m not that advanced in my training yet. Mom told me I should be able to heal injuries like that around the time I turn eighteen…”

“I won’t be able to track our families.” Cherry looked worried. She opened her eyes and frowned. All she could see was light. “Oh my god…” She looked around and sniffled. “I can’t see…”

“Your eyes are scarred over. Mom will be able to heal it. We need to find them. I’ll help with tracking. Just tell me what I need to do.” Sprout led her out of under the tree roots and headed towards Harper. “She can’t see.”

“That’s not good.” Harper had gathered everyone who had survived together. They were down to nine. She sat down with Cherry and gave Basil to her. He wanted her.

Basil was sobbing and clung to Cherry. Pistachio had to tell him that Moonlight and Rhythm were gone. He was extremely upset that his little brothers were dead.

Once Cherry was with Harper, Sprout walked towards the kitten. He saw that it was still very young. It was barely starting to wean at four weeks old. He pulled the arrow out of its leg.

The kitten turned and let out tiny hisses. It was scared. It wondered over to the dead tokami. She was its mother.

“What are we going to do with it? It’s a baby.” Pistachio walked over and looked the kitten over.

“I could kill it, but it’s young enough we might be able to tame it. I recall reading stories of trolls taming tokami. Those pets were fed fish. Since it’s a baby, it won’t be interested in eating us since we would be the providers of food.” Sprout put hand on the leg of the kitten and began to heal it. “Anyone carrying smoked fish?”

“I am.” Layla pulled out a box and walked over to Sprout. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. Her little sister was dead. She was very sad.

Sprout took the fish and fed it to the kitten.

The kitten began to take interest in Sprout. It purred and ate the smoked fish.

“As long as it won’t eat us.” Pistachio looked concerned.

Keith walked over to Sprout and looked the cat over. “I have a bad feeling my sister and brother in law might kill it. If we do keep it, we will have to make sure that Branch and Smidge know that it’s tamed.”

“Yeah, we will have to tell them all. It will be a good ally to have around.” Sprout finished feeding the kitten and then pulled out a fish pole. He walked over to a stream. “Harper, please keep an eye out for danger. I am going to fish since it’s too dark to move on right now.”

“I will.” Harper climbed up the tree and looked around for danger. She rubbed tears from her face and kept her bow and arrows close to her side. She was hoping they wouldn’t lose anyone else.


	9. Here Kitty Kitty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troll Village prepares to defend themselves for another Tokami attack.

Three more days had come and gone. The tokami had been slowed down by the one that was blinded in one eye. They were tracking the Troll Village colony. They were hopeful to get more meals out of them.

Guy Diamond had spent the peaceful four days preparing to attack the tokami. As they continued their journey, he went from one warrior to another and told them his plans. At night, poisonous arrows were prepared, and swords were made and sharpened. He was determined not to lose any more of his colony. He was worried about his family. Especially Poppy, Fairy, and his young children. They had already lost two children from this tragedy. He was unaware that Habanero was still alive.

As they settled down for the night, they all found somewhere to hide. They knew their best bet were areas that the tokami couldn’t fit or reach.

All this moving around had taken a toll on the pregnant trolls. It had been very hard to keep them calm. Satin was the next troll to go into labor. She wasn’t due for another few weeks. She held her belly and breathed. Chenille held her hand and talked her through it quietly. She was worried about her twin sister and her little niece or nephew.

Cricket watched on and held Satin’s free hand. He was extremely worried. The last baby that was born had caused an attack by crying too loud. He was worried they would be attacked again. This baby was also his first child. He couched her through the labor pains and kept her away from the entrance to their hiding place. He wasn’t taking any chances.

“Mmm…” Satin gulped and tried not to make sounds. She reached down as her baby was born and pulled him onto her chest. 

Chenille grabbed a blanket and began cleaning him up. “Good job sis.” She looked worried. He was so tiny. “Come on little one, breathe.” She teared up, worried for her tiny nephew.

Cricket took the little one and held him with one hand and gave him gentle pats on the back with his other hand. The little one was pink like his mama but had his bright green hair. “Please cry little one…”

The preemie let out a soft cry. He was weak and tiny.

Satin was sobbing as she watched Cricket work on their son. She looked a mixed of scared and relieved when he began to cry. She held him close when Cricket gently gave him back. “Thank god…”

“Keep him close and warm. I am going to peak outside.” Cricket grabbed his bow and arrows. He looked outside and breathed through his nose. He could smell that the tomaki were close. “Stay here…” He climbed out and began to climb a tree. He was determined to protect his new family with his life.

“Please stay safe.” Chenille whispered. She snuggled close to Satin and ran her finger along the newborn’s face. “He’s so tiny.”

“I hope he survives.” Satin swallowed hard and held her son close. She attempted to feed him, but he was having difficulty figuring it out. “Oh god…” She teared up, worried about him.

Chenille bit her bottom lip and tried to help her sister. “You have to feed little one. Your life depends on it.” She was unable to get him to feed. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was very worried about him, and there was nothing they could do about it since it was dark, and they couldn’t safely seek help.

“I want to name him, just in case.” Satin sniffled and closed her eyes. “I’m thinking Velvet.” She had a bad feeling this little one was not going to make it.

Chenille nodded and rested on her side, so she was facing her sister. She looked very concerned. He closed her eyes and sighed softly. She could feel her pod moving and hoped she would make it closer to term.

The tokami approached camp. They could smell a recent birth and began looking for the easy meal. The alpha led them towards where Satin had given birth.

Cricket drew his arrow and shot the alpha in the neck. He saw another arrow hit the tokami in the thigh. He looked over and saw it was Branch. He frowned, seeing another tokami headed for where he had left his wives. He drew another arrow and shot it in the shoulder. He looked around and took aim at another tokami. He hit that one in the chest.

With their alpha down, and dying, the tokami scattered and began looking for a way out, but the warriors and scouts came out and surrounded them. They began attacking the remaining tokami with arrows, swords, and knives. It was a bloody massacre, but when it was all done, all the tokami were dead, along with fifteen more trolls. Among them were Cooper and Peppy.

Once everyone was sure that the tokami were dead, they all began to come out and put together the pieces of what just happened. Cooper and Peppy were quickly buried so that they didn’t attract more predators. They then carefully moved the group several hundred yards so that they didn’t have to sleep near the tokami’s dead bodies. Everyone remained gray. In total, they had lost seventy-four trolls, which had included little Angel. That was about a third of their population. They had no idea that there were still nine survivors out in the forest, searching for them. 

Once everyone was settled in a new hiding spot, Cricket led his widowed mother to check on his son. He was very worried about the preemie. He wasn’t doing well.

Honey picked up the little one and cradled him. She gently tried to put a few drops of milk into his mouth, but he was giving up the fight to live. She held Satin so that the baby was snuggled close and cried as her firstborn grandchild lost his will to live.

Cricket felt his heart break. He pulled Chenille in for a group hug. He held his family as they all cried over their losses. The whole tokami attack had broken the hearts of all the villagers from Troll Village.


	10. The Blind Leading The Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cherry struggles as she adjusts to being blind.

Unaware that the tokami were dead, the trollings continued to move through the forest cautiously. They followed small clues, but the pace was as slow as ever. Cherry was terrified, and her walking pace was slow. Pistachio kept a hold of her hand, but he didn’t notice tripping hazards, and she kept tripping and falling. He carried her for a little while, but he grew tired, and she would have to walk again.

Basil was forced to walk now. He had been scared at first, but with lots of encouragement and reassurance, he was walking along with them. He always had a hold of one of the teenager’s arms. He had been extremely quiet. His heart was broken, and he was scared. After hearing one Cherry’s falls, he wondered towards her and stood next to her. “You have to shuffle your feet and feel the ground. You will keep falling if you just walk normal. Believe me, I do it all the time.”

Cherry pulled Basil in and hugged him. “I completely respect you kid. This is extremely hard.” She got up and went to let go of his hand, but he kept a firm hold of it. “Basil, I can’t see. Holding my hand is not a good idea.”

“I want to hold your hand.” Basil took her hand and put it on his face. “Your hands are your friends. Feel like this?” He ran her hand along his face. “Feel that? That’s my face.” He put her hand down to the ground and had her feel the ground. “This is the surface you are walking on. You need to feel where you are going.” He reached over and felt her face while she was kneeling. “That’s my Cherry.” He leaned forward and touched foreheads with her. “Your nose is your friend too. I smell water nearby. There is also ripe apple nearby.” He turned towards the sound of a bird chirp. “Your ears will help you too. Do you hear the bird?”

Cherry smiled and held Basil close. “Thank you, kiddo. This does help a lot.” She sat down and listened to his instructions. She was tired anyway, and sore from falling so much.

The rest of them sat down and took a break. Pistachio, Harper, and Sprout worked on making lunch. Layla walked over to the apple tree and picked each of them an apple to eat as well.

“Someone is walking away. You hear that, right?” Basil listened closely to the sound of the steps. “Layla is walking away from us. She walks lightly and drags her feet a little.”

“How did you know that?” Keith had been listening quietly. He was surprised at just how observant his nephew was.

“I just do.” Basil crawled into Cherry’s lap and leaned into her chest. He listened to her heart beat. “I miss my mommy and daddy…”

“I miss them too Basil.” Cherry ran her hand through his long gray two-toned hair. They were all still gray.

Once lunch was ready and served, they all began to eat. Sprout thought about where they would go next. He had been trying to stay close to the stream, knowing that the adults would stay close to a water source, and besides he had been seeing evidence of them walking through this area. He also needed to be close to the water so he could fish for the kitten. He had decided to name him Coffee, since he was dark brown with black stripes. He loved coffee as much as his mother did.

Harper ate lunch, and then leaned on Sprout and dozed off. She was best friends with him, and this whole ordeal had only made her bond with him more.

Pistachio finished eating and began settling Habanero and Flick down for a little nap, since Harper had fallen asleep. Both boys were acting cranky and tired.

Layla and Keith did a little bit of exploring in the area but stayed close. They did not want to lose sight of the other seven trollings.

Basil had fallen asleep shortly after lunch. He was snuggled up to Cherry.

Cherry was leaned up against Pistachio. She had her hand on his leg. “If we can’t find them, we might have to start a colony of our own.”

“I have thought of that too. It won’t be easy.” Pistachio ran his hand through her gray hair. He had concerns.

“I know it won’t. I would have to cope with being blind until Sprout learns how to heal my eyes, but the only one I am related to biologically is Basil, so we would be able to handle being a colony without concerns of incest. Well, except we would have to make sure Basil and Flick don’t become mates since they are cousins.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “I think it would work out OK.”

“You have been putting a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?” Pistachio smiled softly.

“We have been trying to find our families for six days now. We might not ever find them.” Cherry frowned and sighed. She was really hoping they would find them. She wanted to be with her family and friends. She was deeply concerned about all of them. She had no idea if they were even still alive.

“We will find them. Your brother is tough. He’ll keep them alive. I know he will.” Pistachio smiled at her, and gently lift her head up. He looked into her cloudy eyes and kissed her gently.

Cherry gasped when he kissed her. She shifted and returned the kiss. She held onto him and ran her hand through his pastel green hair. 

Sprout glanced over and blushed. “You two better be careful. If one of the younger ones noticed your lip lock, they might tell on you when we find our parents.”

Cherry let out a small giggle and leaned into Pistachio. She had enjoyed their first kiss, even if she couldn’t see his facial expression.

“If we find our parents.” Pistachio had a smug look on his face. Both Cherry and he had their colors back. The kiss had cheered them up. He had hope that even if they were unable to find the colony, that they would be able to move on and form a colony of their own.


	11. Finding Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troll Village finds a new home.

It had been three days since the tokami had been taken down. The Troll Village colony continued to head south. Going home had been brought up, but with how many were dead, and after losing two babies as well, Guy Diamond, Poppy, and Fairy had decided it was best just to find a new home. After losing Velvet, it was decided that if anyone was pregnant, they were to be carried for the rest of the journey. They had already lost seventy-five trolls. They did not want to lose any more lives if they could help it.

Guy Diamond and Poppy took turns carrying Fairy. She was not very heavy, so they just carried her in their arms. When the first of her contractions hit, Fairy didn’t say anything, but Poppy knew by how tense she got that something was going on. She turned to Guy Diamond and frowned. “We are going to need to stop. I think Fairy is in labor.”

Guy Diamond looked around and nodded. “Yeah, this is a nice place to stop. It has a lot of water sources, food, and shelter. I think we can call this home, if my beautiful queens are alright with it.”

Poppy smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. “I like it here. We need to settle anyway. We need to prepare for winter.” She was very worried that even though they lost several trolls, they might starve. The migration came at a very bad time.

Fairy just nodded slowly. She felt another contraction and tensed up. She was worried about this little one. It was cold outside, and she didn’t want to lose her baby, like Poppy and Satin had lost theirs.

Guy Diamond turned to everyone. “We will settle here. I need help making shelter for the young and pregnant. Quickly please. We do not have much time.” He began gathering wood and quickly made a fire so that his unborn baby would be warm when he or she was born.

Poppy gathered blankets and made Fairy comfortable in her lap. The ground was cold, and she didn’t want her mate to become cold, and didn’t want the baby to be born on the cold ground. She began to sing softly, feeling some hope now that they were at their new home.

River, Jewel, Pearl, and Alexandrite settled down beside their mamas and snuggled up for a nap. They were all very tired.

Stream painfully walked over and sat by Poppy and Fairy. “Good timing. My contractions started about half an hour ago, but I was afraid to ask to stop.” He winced and held his belly. This was not his first baby. He was the one that had given birth to Flick. He was still nervous, even though he had managed to get very close to his due date.

Aquamarine grabbed a couple of blankets and helped Stream get comfortable. He had little Autumn in his hair. He looked nervous as he held Stream from behind. He was glad that they had stopped and built a fire. He didn’t want to lose any more of his family.

Poppy smiled softly and shifted so she was right beside Aquamarine. She leaned lightly on him and closed her eyes. She was so sore, and so tried. She was also so worried about these babies. She hoped they would survive.

Branch began gathering wood, food, and water. He looked concerned. They were a month behind on fall harvest, and they had no idea if there was going to be enough provisions here to last until the first food of spring.

Everyone else who could, began building homes. There was a lot to do before the sunset. They hoped this area had less predators.

An emerald green troll with blue green hair and one hazel colored eye watched these trolls gather from a distance. He grinned and began walking towards them. He hadn’t seen trolls in over two years. He had been alone since his small colony was killed off by the tokami.

Guy Diamond noticed him and pulled out his knife. He rushed towards him, feeling the need to protect his family. “Who are you?!”

Branch noticed him too and came rushing over. He pulled out a bow and readied an arrow. He was on edge.

“Whoa! I am not here to harm any of you…” Sassafras put his hands up and smiled softly. “I am just curious. How did you survive coming here?! The tokami roam this area freely and have killed off all the trolls who lived here but me.”

Guy Diamond kept a hold of his knife but relaxed slightly. “We killed them off. They had taken out a third of my village.”

Branch looked Sassafras up and down. He was covered in scars and was missing an eye. It was clear he had had more than one encounter with the demon cats. “How the hell did you survive alone out here?!”

“I made an underground home. I keep it well stocked with supplies and food. I also keep my eye out for danger and don’t come out if I smell that they are nearby.” Sassafras smiled at them. “My name is Sassafras. May I ask who you are?”

“So you have a bunker?” Guy Diamond raised a brow and glanced at Branch. He thought Branch was nuts for keeping supplies down in his bunker, but now he was starting to think that he had had the right thoughts all along. “My name is King Guy Diamond. You can call me Guy.”

“I’m Branch.” Branch made googly eyes and moved closer to Sassafras. “Can I see your underground home?” He wanted to see how similar it was to his bunker. He was very curious.

Sassafras saw the look Branch was making and laughed. “I haven’t been flirted with in years. Here, let me help you all get comfortable first, and then we can work out kinks and details. I saw that you have some pregnant trolls and babies. We need to get them settled into homes.” He headed off to gather supplies for them. He was very friendly and excited that he wasn’t going to be alone anymore.

“He seems happy to see us.” Guy Diamond was wary, but one of his mates was in labor. He had good reason to be wary. “He better not try anything. I’ll kill him.”

“I don’t think he will.” Branch smirked and went back to collect supplies. He liked this guy already.

Back at the fire, Fairy breathed and held her belly. This was not as comfortable as having a baby in warm water. She looked up at Poppy when she felt that the baby was getting close. “The baby is coming.” She held Poppy’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

Poppy gently checked Fairy and grabbed the tiny newborn as she was born. “Oh Fairy, she is so beautiful.” She began cleaning the little baby pink glitter baby up with a blanket, and then wrapped her up right away. She had white hair like her parents and was tiny like her mama. She began letting out soft cries. She was healthy and didn’t like the cold.

Fairy smiled softly and shifted so that she could see her newborn daughter. She was very happy that the baby was healthy and crying. “She looks like a little Crystal.” She gently took her and held her to her chest. She was so glad that she was alright.

“I love that as a name. She’s so pretty.” Poppy held Fairy close and smiled. Even though she had lost her own daughter just over a week earlier and her father just a few days earlier, she was very happy. She had restored her colors, and so did Fairy.

Guy Diamond heard the faint cries of a newborn baby. He walked over to check and smiled when he saw the tiny baby. His colors also restored as he sat down by his family and enjoyed the first several minutes of Crystal’s life. He was so glad she was alright. “You did a good job Fairy.”

Aquamarine had watched on quietly and kept a hold of Stream’s hand. He turned to Stream and kissed his cheek. “How are you doing daddy?”

“Getting close…” Stream winced and grabbed his daughter as she was born. He put her on his chest and took some deep breaths as Aquamarine reached down and began cleaning their newborn up. She was a light blue glitter trolling with green and light blue two toned hair. She began to cry right away. “Hello little one.” He looked up at Aquamarine. “How about Spring, since Creek saved us a week ago? I want to name her after my brother.” The had both restored their colors as well.

“That is so sweet.” Creek had overheard that and came over to check out his newborn niece. “She’s adorable.”

“They are going to share birthdays.” Poppy smiled over at Stream and Aquamarine. She was ecstatic that the babies were alright.

Troll Village continued to work well into the evening, and then settled into the homes that were already prepared. They still had a lot to do, but they had high hopes that everything was going to get better from here.


	12. Happy Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trollings have not found their family for two weeks, but they haven’t given up hope.

After searching for evidence of their parents, and losing the trail no thanks to a thunderstorm, Sprout had all but given up on ever finding the survivors of the tokami attack. He knew they were out there, but he just couldn’t find them. He settled down in a nice area and set up camp there. He gathered Harper, Cherry, Pistachio, Keith, Layla, Habanero, Basil, and Flick. He looked among the eight survivors and sighed softly. “We’re going to settle here and start a new colony. I will be your king. I know a lot of survival skills, and I promise to do whatever it takes to protect you all. Harper, I ask to take your hand as my queen. Do you all accept this declaration?”

Harper walked over to him and hugged him tight. “I accept.” She kissed him and held him close. They had mated just a couple days earlier, claiming each other as mates. She truly believed it was going to be up to the nine of them to start a new colony. She hoped they would find more trolls in the future, but this was going to be a good start.

Everyone else nodded. They were all in agreement with this arrangement.

Since there was no official way to make them husband and wife, Sprout decided that this was going to be declaration that they were husband and wife. He looked at the seven remaining trollings and smiled as they cheered and whooped. They were a small group, but they had proven to be very tough. He had high hopes for their futures. He turned to Cherry and Pistachio. Pistachio was the second oldest in the group at just a week younger than Sprout. He had concerns that he would try to mate with Cherry. “Pistachio, I have seen the way you have looked at Cherry, and I need you to promise you will wait at least another year to mate with her. She is too young, and I would really hate for you to lose her. You need her. We all need her.”

“I had the same thoughts Sprout, and as much as I would love to, I will wait. I need her safe.” Pistachio didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to risk Cherry’s health either. She had only recently turned fifteen years old. She needed to grow and mature a little more before they considered having a family.

“I’m going to declare you my right-hand man. I need your help. Let’s work together and start building two new homes. The other children are too young to live alone, so we will have to work together so that they are not in danger.” Sprout smiled. “I know we can do this. We have survived so far, and those tokami appear to be gone. Let’s get moving.” He turned to the others. “Let’s start making our homes. We have a lot to do to prepare for winter.” He walked way and began gathering supplies.

Harper followed Sprout. She was understandably concerned, but she knew they had to settle if they were to survive the winter.

Pistachio went to get food. There was so much for them to do now that they had decided to settle. 

Cherry stayed with the children and smiled. She ran her hand through the leaves and picked up a stick. She broke it up and set it in a pile. She stood up and listened to the wind. She cleared her throat and began to sing. She was scared, but she wasn’t giving up. She was going to tell the whole forest that she was strong, and she was not going to give up without a fight. Basil joined her in song. He had a determined look on his face. He wasn’t giving up either.

Half a mile away, Branch was making rounds, looking for food, and looking for the lost children. He had never given up on them. He knew Cherry, and knew she was not going to give up until she died. So far, all his searching was fruitless, but he always came home with forageables so this searching was never pointless. He heard Cherry singing and widened his eyes. He began to run that way. “I knew she was alive…” As he came into the scene, he ran straight for his son and sister. He had tears in his eyes as he scooped up Basil and gave Cherry the tightest hug. “Oh my god, I was so worried about you both…”

“Daddy!” Basil let out a sob of joy and hugged tightly into him. He began to restore his colors, and so did Branch.

“You’re alive!” Cherry hugged him tight and began to cry. She had been so worried that he hadn’t survived the tokami. She knew he was tough, but also knew that the tokami were ruthless predators.

Sprout hurried over and smiled when he saw Branch. A sense of relief washed over him. He joined in the group hug. The rest of the children hugged into Branch. All nine were extremely happy to see him.

“You all look thin. Let’s get you home and make sure you have hot baths and hot food. Let’s go…” Branch looked at Cherry and frowned, seeing that her eyes were clouded over. “We will make a stop at Honey’s flower pod and see if we can’t fix your eyes too.” He eyed the kitten but didn’t move to kill it. It was right beside Sprout, was very young, and he appeared to be tamed.

“That would be fantastic.” Cherry grabbed Branch’s arm and closed her eyes. She was so relieved.

Branch picked up Basil and began leading the children towards the new village. He began to explain to them what happened, and who had died. He was sad to inform Harper, Layla, Pistachio, and Keith that they had been orphaned, and that Sprout had lost his stepdad. He was sad to find out that Moonlight, Rhythm, Lulu, and Vanilla had been killed by the tokami. It took a little while, so that Cherry made it back without tripping, but they were soon back at the village. He led them straight to Honey’s home.

Honey heard a commotion and opened the door. She gasped when she saw Sprout and ran over to him. She hugged him tightly and began to sob happily. “You’re alive!”

“I’m so glad you are OK mom. Sorry to hear about dad.” Sprout hugged her tightly and smiled. He then moved Cherry, so she was in front of her. “Please help her mom. I wasn’t able to heal her eyes and she can’t see.” He smiled when Bumble and Bee ran over to him and hugged him. He was very happy to see that they were alright.

Honey began to heal Cherry’s eyes. She was so glad that some of the children had come back alive. They hadn’t lost as many trolls as they thought. “You came home in time to celebrate your seventeenth birthday. I’m so glad you’re home…”

Cherry looked around when Honey finished healing her. She sighed in relief and hugged into Pistachio.

“Flick!” Aquamarine ran over and scooped his son up. He let out sobs as he held his little one close. “Oh my god…” He cried as he held him close. He was afraid he had lost him forever. “It’s a miracle…” He headed home with his baby. He had to show him his baby sisters and give him a bath. He was in desperate need of one.

“Oh my god!” Smidge ran over and hugged into her little brother. “I’m so glad you are alright!” She turned and pulled Basil in for a hug. “You all gave us a good scare.” She hugged Cherry too and frowned, noticing that Moonlight was not with them. She teared up and began to cry when Branch knelt and told her that he had been killed. She held Basil close and sniffled. She was sad, but grateful that most of them had made it back. She had already thought of letting Keith move in with them, so he wasn’t alone since their parents were gone.

Guy Diamond had heard the commotion and hurried over. He picked up Habanero and hugged him tight. “Oh my god, I am so glad you made it baby boy. Your mamas and I have been so worried.” He headed home with him.

Layla broke away from the crowd and sat under a tree. All her family were dead. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was very upset.

Harper walked over and sat beside Layla. “I’m going to make a flower pod. You’re welcome to join me Layla. I’m sorry that you lost your parents.” She had lost her parents too, and knew it hurt a lot. She was turning seventeen in about a month though and had already warmed up to the idea of living on her own.

“I would like that Harper.” Layla leaned into her and sniffled. She was glad that she wasn’t going to be alone.

With the nine surviving trollings reunited, everyone was starting to think that things could only look up from here. They hadn’t lost seventy-five trolls after all, but still, losing sixty-four was a lot. They had a lot of recuperating to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the song that Cherry sang, except she said two weeks instead of two years. All credit goes to the song writers and song artist.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo1VInw-SKc


	13. Into The Bunker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has a huge crush on the new guy.

It had been a week since reuniting with the nine lost trollings. Everyone had officially settled into their new homes. There was still a lot of harvesting to do. Branch and Smidge had left Cherry to watch the kids, while they went out to harvest. 

As they passed Sassafras, Branch smiled and waved at him. He was not afraid to show him that he was interested in him. He wondered over and grinned. “So, are you up to showing me your home now?” He had the goofiest grin on his face. He was absolute lovestruck. This guy was a survivalist just like he was.

“Branch…” Smidge could see that he was aroused. “Put it away…” She was not amused, even though she was very sure she was pregnant again herself. They had a very active sex life, and she had already started to have cravings. She had a feeling she had become pregnant right before the attacks, but it was not confirmed yet. She was not far enough along yet to know for sure.

“Yeah, I will show you my home.” Sassafras opened his entrance and stepped inside. “Watch that first step.” He glanced at Smidge and smiled. He had a feeling she was jealous. He had already figured out they were mates. He winked at her and laughed when she growled. “You’re a feisty little mama.”

Branch stepped down, and then helped Smidge down since it was a bit of a step down. He didn’t want her to get hurt.

Sassafras closed the door and began to make his way around his home. He told them where everything was at, and where he stored things. He got to a set of stairs and began going down. “I have a lot of wood stored in my basement, and the second level is full of food. If your families can’t make it through the winter, I won’t let any of you starve.” He got to the second level and went to the fireplace. He put some wood on the coals. “I miss my family and friends.” He frowned and looked at them. “It hasn’t been the same without them.”

Smidge and Branch looked around as he gave them a tour. Branch frowned at the mention of losing family and friends. “I can’t imagine losing everyone. Although I was alone for some time when I was seven, going on eight.”

Smidge glanced around but was more worried about Branch’s growing interest in Sassafras. They had children at home that needed raising, and a very possible new life growing inside her. She looked angry, but she was feeling scared that he might break up with her for this new guy. She looked up at Sassafras when he mentioned family. “Did you have any children?”

“No, I had a mate, but he died before we were able to have any kids. He was pregnant, but the baby died with him.” Sassafras grabbed a stuffed animal off his shelf and looked at it. He sighed and set it back down on the shelf. “I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if my family had survived. I was unable to save them, and lost my right eye that day. I escaped with my life and managed to stop the bleeding before I died too.”

“I’m so sorry.” Branch frowned and looked down. He knew how much it hurt to lose children. 

Smidge winced and looked away. He liked males. This was not a good sign. She put her hand on her belly and frowned. She was growing increasingly concerned and jealous.

“Are you pregnant Smidge?” Sassafras smiled at her. He could see that something was bothering her, and saw her hand go to her belly.

“We suspect so. This one will be our fourth biological child if she is.” Branch smiled and put his hand on Smidge’s shoulder. He knelt and whispered into her ear. “Relax sweetheart. Trust me.”

Smidge whacked him with her hair and turned to look him in the eyes. She grabbed a hold of his vest. “Don’t tell me to relax! Your erection tells me you’re interested in this guy! How the hell am I supposed to relax?!”

Sassafras blinked and then began to laugh. “Wow! You are feisty. Are you two like that all the time?”

“I love when you get frisky.” Branch smirked and pulled her in for a kiss.

Smidge growled and smacked him in the cheek. She grumbled as she returned the kiss. She was still unamused.

Sassafras cocked his head slightly. “I think she is really jealous.”

“I think so too.” Branch rubbed his cheek. “Smidge, please trust me.” He put his hand under her chin. “I’m not going anywhere. You act like you’re going to lose me.”

“You’re interested in him…” Smidge pushed his hand away and turned her back to him. She glared at Sassafras, and blushed when she realized he had an erection now too. “Oh my god…” She could see through his pants that he was big.

Sassafras smiled softly. “Sorry, I get turned on by rough foreplay.” He said honestly. He looked at Branch and blushed when he saw he was giving him a look of interest.

Branch nudged Smidge towards him and smirked. “I see that look. I know it. You gave me the same look our first time.”

Smidge shot a glare up at him, then walked over to Sassafras and looked up at him. “So, you are aroused now too? Do you realize I have three sons, a daughter, we are raising my brother, his sister, and have regular visits from several children whom are friends with our kids? You must deal with all that, plus him and I, and any children that come out of our loins if you decide to become sexually involved with us. Do I make myself clear?” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down so that they were face to face.

“Challenge accepted?” Sassafras laughed nervously. He pulled her in and began to kiss her.

Smidge flushed and kissed him back. “Disappoint me, and I will castrate you and serve your parts to Branch’s new pet.”

Branch widened his eyes, surprised that she had kissed him back. He had taken in Coffee for training until Sprout was eighteen. He wanted to make sure the kitten was raised right. The castration threat made him cringe.

“Then I better not disappoint you.” Sassafras winked at Branch. “Looks like I am stuck with you two.” He wasn’t disappointed. He loved the thought of being with a family.

Smidge smirked and pulled Sassafras’ pants down. She liked what she saw. She shot a glance at Branch, and then took Sassafras’ member in her mouth. She began to suckle on him.

Branch moved closer and helped Sassafras pull his shirt off.

Sassafras shivered and moaned. “Oh god, that feels good…”

Smidge removed her panties as she licked the tip of his member. “Mine…”

Branch pulled off his pants and his vest. He reached down and played with Smidge’s clitoris gently.

Sassafras shivered and helped Smidge out of her dress. He was very interested. He grabbed her hair and groaned as he grasped her hair in his fingers. He repositioned her and pushed his length into her. He began to thrust gently.

Smidge moaned loudly and tightened her walls. She was very pleased. “Oh my god…”

Branch grinned and got behind Sassafras. He grabbed his blue green hair and pulled him closer. He pushed his length into him and began thrusting eagerly. He moaned in pleasure.

The three of them took turns and tried different positions. This went on for several hours, before they headed back to the flower pod to check on the kids. All three were very pleased with each other.


	14. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sprout has a talk with his mom and stepsister.

Another month had gone by, and Poppy and Honey were on their way to Honey’s home. Honey had just helped Chenille deliver twins, who were bonded by the hair. It had been a very stressful birth for Chenille, but she had survived it and was so happy to have babies after losing Vanilla, and after watching her little nephew die. She had had identical twin boys, and they looked like Cricket, but with blue and bright green bonded two-toned hair. Honey was so glad that her grandsons were alright. They were her first surviving biological grandbabies. Cricket, Chenille, and Satin had named them Nutmeg and Cumin.

Sprout was holding hands with Harper. They had been talking to each other as they waited for Honey to come home. He knew his mom was very busy, especially now that she had taken over being the leader of the medical pod. She had a lot of responsibilities now that Mama Goldie was gone. He looked over at Honey and stood when she approached. “Mom? Can I talk to you please?” He looked nervous.

Harper put her hands in her lap and looked at the ground. She had a guilty look on her face.

“Of course, son.” Honey looked between him and Harper. “What happened?”

“It was about the two weeks we were out on our own. We were starting to think we were not going to find you all. We had decided to start our own colony.” Sprout swallowed hard and bit his bottom lip. He had a feeling he was going to be in trouble. “I claimed Harper as my mate.” He looked over at Harper and frowned. “I think those actions got her pregnant. She has been getting sick the last few days and I sense life growing inside her.”

Honey frowned and looked over at Harper. “You both just turned seventeen. You’re both a little young to be with pod.” She couldn’t argue too much. She was seventeen herself when she had Cricket, and it was under similar circumstances. She sighed and walked over to Harper. “Let me see sweetheart.” She gently put her hand on Harper’s belly and smiled when she sensed growing life inside of her. “You’re right son, she is pregnant.”

Poppy crossed her arms. “You know better. You’re going to have to take care of her Sprout.” She was not amused. “Trollings are a lot of responsibility.”

Harper looked nervous. She bit her bottom lip, worried more that they were going to be in trouble, then the pregnancy. She was excited about having a baby. After losing her family, she had hope of starting a new one with Sprout.

“I plan to sis.” Sprout sat down beside Harper and pulled her into a hug. He held her and closed his eyes. “I promised the day we were separated that I would take care of her. I would take care of them all.” He put his hand on her belly and sighed. “No matter what happened.”

“From what I heard, you did a fantastic job of taking care of them Sprout. I have a good feeling you’re going to be a great dad. It’s hard work, but I have a feeling you are ready. You have proven that the two weeks you took care of all those kids. That is not an easy thing to do.” Honey smiled softly. “I can’t tell you enough how proud I am of you for taking care of them. They may not have come home if it wasn’t for you. Especially after hearing what happened to Cherry. She would have certainly died if you hadn’t healed her the day the tokami came and attacked you all.”

“We are all very grateful for those whom you saved Sprout. We thought we had lost you all.” Poppy sat by Sprout and pulled him and Harper into a hug. “Now you better take good care of her. She’s going to need mint tea, crackers, and anything she wants to eat. She needs to gain some weight. She is still pretty thin.”

Harper looked relieved. She hugged into them and sniffled. “I was so scared I would be in trouble. I’m glad none of you are mad at me.”

“We are concerned, but not mad. It’s going to be alright. We will get through this together, and you two will be great parents.” Honey pulled out a box out of her hair. She pulled out a bottle from the box and gave it to Harper. “I give this to pregnant trolls who suffer morning sickness. Take one spoon full before every meal. It will help you keep food down and help with your appetite. Poppy is right, you’re going to need those extra calories.”

“Thank you.” Harper hugged Honey tightly and smiled. “Can I call you mom?” She looked at her, hopeful that she would be allowed to. She missed her mom and dad so much.

“Of course, you can.” Honey hugged her back and rubbed her back gently. She was nervous for them but was glad they were home. It was going to be a lot safer for Harper to have her baby surrounded by family, instead of having it with the small group of trollings. If something happened, they may have had problems, and that was scary to think about. “I’m here for you both.”


	15. Honorable Mention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sassafras is recognized as a special member of the community for helping Troll Village during harvest, and for promising to help them survive winter.

A couple more weeks had gone by, and it was now the first day of winter. Everyone gathered around the new troll tree. Fermented fruit, wine, and food was being served. They were celebrating a lot of things today. A decent harvest, the fact that they were all still alive, and for Sassafras, since he helped them all, and made a promise to help them through the winter.

Smidge was leaned up against Branch. She was two and a half months pregnant with twins. She had a huge grin on her face. Sassafras was pregnant too and was a month and a half along. She was very amused and kept telling him he was having triplets.

“You’re just asking for a trolling explosion Smidge. With your twins there will be three babies pretty much all at once. That’s a lot of trollings.” Branch complained. He wasn’t amused. He recalled how hard it was to raise three boys that were all born on the same day. He was relieved to hear that he was not pregnant. He was drinking wine and was already drunk. He was taking advantage of the fact that Cherry was watching the kids.

“I won’t mind a big family.” Sassafras smiled and put his hand on his belly. He was excited that he was pregnant. He looked up when he saw Poppy, Fairy, and Guy Diamond step up on the mushroom that stuck out the side of the troll tree.

“Thank you everyone for coming here today and joining us in celebration of a good harvest. I want to especially thank Sassafras, who knows the area, and has helped us find the food we need to get through the winter. If it is not enough, he has promised to provide us with the provisions we need to survive.” Poppy smiled at Sassafras. “You’ve made this difficult time in our lives better. Thank you for helping us.”

“You’re welcome.” Sassafras smiled and looked around. He laughed when Branch gave him a wet sloppy kiss.

Branch kissed him and smirked. “Thank you my special. Mine…”

“Branch, you’re drunk.” Smidge giggled and poked him in the nose.

Creek saw Branch kiss Sassafras. His cheeks flushed red and he crossed his arms. He was jealous. He still loved Branch, but had never asked to join him and Smidge, because Branch never showed interest in him, and besides he also loved DJ Suki and she loved him back. He grumbled and took a big swallow of wine.

DJ Suki was eating a fermented crab apple. She had left Melody and Symphony with Harper so that she could practice diaper changes. She was happy to have some peace and to enjoy getting drunk. She didn’t notice Creek’s small tantrum.

After the party was over, Sassafras helped Branch towards his bunker. Branch had insisted they have some alone time.

Branch was staggering drunk and had the strong scent of alcohol in his breath. He mumbled that he was going to pound the hell out of Sassafras and Smidge.

Smidge walked with them and held hands with Branch. She had a smug look on her face. She loved when Branch got drunk. It always made sex extra fun.

Creek had DJ Suki’s hand and was following them. He had a determined look on his face. He wanted to talk to these three. He was so jealous and very drunk.

“Where we going Creek? The pod flower is the other way.” DJ Suki’s voice was slurred. She was very drunk.

Sassafras got to his bunker and opened it. He turned and smiled at Creek. “Hello Creek and DJ. How are you two tonight?”

Branch turned to Creek and DJ Suki and smirked. “Hiya Creek and DJ!” He waved at them. He stumbled a bit and went to give DJ Suki a hug. “I hug my friend…”

Creek flushed and pulled Branch in for a kiss. His cheeks were warm. “You son of a bitch! You didn’t tell me you liked guys too! Not fair!”

Smidge’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god!” She was shocked.

DJ Suki stumbled a bit, when Branch hugged her. She frowned when she saw Creek kissing Branch. She put her hands over her mouth. “Creek!” She teared up and began to cry. “How could you?!”

Sassafras raised his brow and looked between the three of them. He frowned when DJ Suki began to cry. “Aww, please don’t cry DJ…” He looked concerned.

Branch widened his eyes and slapped Creek hard on the cheek. “You’re a stupid asshole…”

Creek rubbed his cheek and looked between them all. “What the hell did I do wrong?”

Smidge walked over to DJ Suki and hugged her. She didn’t like to see her cry.

DJ Suki hugged Smidge tightly and sniffled. “You know what you did Creek! You just kissed Branch. We just lost a son, and we have two young daughters to raise and take care of.” Tears ran down her cheeks. She was jealous and upset. She didn’t want to lose Creek.

“So…why did Creek kiss Branch?” Sassafras was curious and confused. He knew Branch and Creek had had three sons together, and had heard the story, but he thought it was something that they had to do, and not because it was something they had wanted to do.

“He loves me.” Branch grumbled and hid behind Sassafras. He was not amused by the kiss. He knew this whole time that Creek was in love with him, but he didn’t have the same thoughts.

“It’s true. I love Branch and DJ.” Creek grumbled and glared at Sassafras. “If I had known he was willing to take on another male, I would have asked a long time ago.”

“Creek, you’re an idiot. What about DJ?! Don’t tell me you haven’t loved her the last seven years you have been together…” Smidge was not amused. She held DJ Suki and ran her hand through her fuzzy orange hair. “It’s alright DJ, please don’t cry. We’re here for you…”

“He doesn’t love me. He’s too worried about what Branch is doing with Sass…” DJ Suki rubbed the tears away and sniffled.

“No, I love you DJ. I just love Branch too.” Creek sighed and walked over. He pulled her into a hug. “I wouldn’t have become mates with you if I didn’t love you too.”

“You have a shitty way of showing love.” Smidge pushed Creek away from DJ Suki with her hair. “Don’t touch her.”

Branch whispered into Sassafras’ ear, and then climbed into the bunker. He stumbled towards the bedroom. He stripped on the way there.

“Smidge let’s take her inside. Leave Creek to think about his actions.” Sassafras motioned her over and stepped inside.

Smidge smirked and led DJ Suki to the entrance. She let Sassafras help her down.

DJ went into Sassafras’ bunker and took another look at Creek. “I love you Creek, but you hurt my feelings…”

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Can I love you both?” Creek walked over and took her hand. “Please? I’m sorry for upsetting you.” He leaned forward to kiss her and stumbled. He faceplanted into the bunker with a splat.

“Clumsy goof.” Smidge had barely moved out of the way before Creek landed where she had been standing.

DJ Suki helped him sit up and began checking him over for injuries. She saw his nose was bleeding. She pulled out a tissue from her hair and pinched his nose. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Come on, I have something for that.” Sassafras helped Creek up and headed for one of the rooms in his first floor. He walked them in and grabbed a powdery substance. He had Creek look up and put it in his nose.

“Oh god, it burns.” Creek held his nose and groaned. It stopped the bleeding.

“Serves you right.” Smidge crossed her arms and smirked. She was amused now.

DJ Suki looked around curiously. “Nice place Sass.”

“Thanks. Feel free to make yourself at home.” Sassafras went to the bathroom and washed his hands.

“Sassy, what’s taking so long?” Branch walked over, completely nude. He widened his eyes, seeing that DJ Suki and Creek were in the bunker. “Sass…” He flushed and looked around for Sassafras.

“Oh dear…” Smidge blushed and walked over to Branch. “Come with me dear…” She led him towards the bedroom.

Creek had a huge smirk on his face. He was glad he at least got to see Branch nude. His member swelled. He was very interested.

“Wow, he has a huge…” DJ Suki blushed and looked at Creek. She sighed and nudged him. “Come on, let’s make sure he doesn’t fall on her.” She followed Smidge and Branch.

Sassafras came out of the bathroom and followed them. He glanced between the four of them and laughed, when he saw that Creek was aroused. “So, are you two going to stay here, or are you going to give us some privacy?”

Smidge shot a glance at Sassafras. She shrugged and helped Branch into the bed. She wasn’t worried about them joining. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Creek have sex with Branch before.

Creek crawled into the bed and pulled Branch in for a kiss. He was very horny.

Branch flushed and kissed him back. He was too horny and drunk to argue anymore.

DJ Suki blushed and looked between them. “So, we are doing this?” She crawled into the bed and pulled Creek off Branch. “Promise me that nothing changes?”

“Nothing changes.” Creek pulled her towards him and began kissing her passionately.

Smidge smirked and crawled into bed. She wondered if these drunk goofs were going to remember this. She was totally going to black mail them later. She had plans.

“I guess we are doing this.” Sassafras laughed and pulled his pants off. He grabbed Smidge and took her clothes off. He laid over her and pushed his length into her. He began thrusting eagerly.

Smidge gasped and moaned. “Oh my god…” She grasped his arm and shivered. “You’re amazing…”

Branch took Creek’s pants off and pushed his length into him. He began to thrust. He moaned and leaned into him. “Mmm…”

Creek moaned loudly. He removed DJ Suki’s pants and pushed into her. He began thrusting into her. He was very pleased.

DJ Suki gasped and rocked her hips. Between Creek and Branch, the rhythm was amazing.

After having a round with Creek, Branch pulled DJ Suki to him, and pushed his length into her. He began thrusting happily.

Creek shifted and grabbed Sassafras. He kissed him and groaned. “You’re so big…”

Sassafras blushed at the kiss. He turned him around and pushed his length into him. “Here you go big boy.” He began to thrust happily.

Smidge mused and watched for a moment. She giggled when Creek pulled her to him and pushed his length into her. She was amused and let him. “Naughty boy…”

This continued well into the night, and into the morning. They had many rounds with each other, until they all passed out from exhaustion. All five were very pleased.


	16. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DJ Suki and Creek wake up in a bed they are not expecting to be in.

A few hours after the orgy had ended, Smidge got out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and began to run a bath. She had a smug look on her face. She was very amused by what happened the night before.

Sassafras heard her leave the bed. He got up and headed for his kitchen. He was hungry.

DJ Suki was the next one to wake up. She cracked her eyes open and widened her eyes, seeing Branch draped over her. “Get the hell off me!” She shoved him off and groaned, feeling a pounding headache. She looked down and saw she was nude. “What did we do last night?” She could feel that she was sore and could smell mating. She reached over and shook Creek. “We passed out with Branch. Get up…”

Branch rolled over and snorted. He was out cold.

“Huh?” Creek sat up and frowned, noticing all three were nude. “Umm…” He looked around and found his pants. He pulled them on and looked at Branch. “Oh god, what did we do?”

“We drank too much.” DJ Suki put her shirt and pants on. “I think Branch joined us. Where the heck are Smidge and Sass?” She noticed they were in what appeared to be Sassafras’ bunker. She got up and walked out of the room.

Creek got up and followed her. “We better get out of here, before Smidge kills us.”

“Before I do what?” Smidge was wrapped up in a towel. She looked up at Creek and grinned.

“Hey Smidge, DJ and I are looking for a way out. Can you show us to the door please?” Creek was red in the cheeks.

DJ Suki laughed nervously. “Yep, we want to head home.”

“Of course…” Smidge grinned and headed for the door. “Fun night last night.” She had a feeling they didn’t remember. She was going to enjoy messing with them. She got to the door. “Have a good day.” She headed back towards the bathroom so she could take her bath.

Creek tried to open the door, but it was stuck. He frowned, noticing ice around the edges of the door. “Uh oh, the door seems frozen shut.”

“Creek, we need to go. I told Harper we would get the girls this morning.” DJ Suki frowned. She looked worried.

“Well we’re not going anywhere with the door frozen shut.” Creek sighed and headed back.

“She’s going to kill me. I bet Symphony is being difficult.” DJ Suki sighed and followed him. “Poor mama.”

“Hung over?” Sassafras came out of the kitchen and sipped on water. “You two are funny drunks.”

“Yeah, funny…” Creek laughed nervously.

DJ Suki laughed nervously too and rubbed her left arm. “Hilarious.”

Sassafras chuckled and finished his water. “You should have some breakfast. I just made some.” He led them into the kitchen and sat at the table. He had granola bars set out. He had already eaten some.

“Not hungry Sassafras. We need to go get our girls, and your door is stuck.” Creek frowned and sighed.

“Oh, here, let me look.” Sassafras walked over to his door and tried to open it. “Uh oh, it looks like it snowed during the night. We will be stuck here until it melts, unless we get lucky and someone comes looking for us.”

“Are you serious? Harper will not be happy.” DJ Suki sighed and looked at Creek.

“Yep, and Cherry is going to be ticked. Kayura won’t want to be on the bottle that long.” Sassafras sighed softly. “We’re in trouble.” He laughed. “That teenager is impressive when she’s angry.”

“We have no choice. We’re stuck.” Creek held his head. He was personally a little glad that he wasn’t going to have to deal with his daughters for a little longer. His head was splitting, and Symphony was often a little loud. She had no idea how loud her squeals were.

“Let’s go chill. Might as well recover from our hang overs.” DJ Suki took Creek’s hand and walked towards were she had seen a couch. She sat down and leaned into Creek when he sat beside her.

Smidge came out of the bathroom. She had a huge grin on her face as she walked over to them. She climbed onto the couch and pat Creek on the cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re drunk.”

“Oh my god, do you know what happened last night?” DJ Suki looked worried.

“Maybe…” Smidge smirked and moved so she was between them. She pat DJ Suki’s cheek. “I’ll tell you if you take my children every weekend for the next year.”

“The next year?! Oh god, was it that bad?!” Creek flushed.

“Mmhmm…” Sassafras smirked and watched Smidge. He was amused.

“Every other weekend?” DJ Suki looked a little concerned at just how bad this had to be for her to black mail them like this.

“That is a lot of weekend watches with Twig.” Creek complained. He did not like that kid’s spiritual presence at all.

“More time with Basil though. You know he loves it.” Smidge was hoping for more breaks.

“You get ours every other weekend?” DJ Suki was trying hard to compromise.

“Nah, I’m good with you two watching my four kids.” Smidge smirked. She was very amused.

“Oh god, why is he down here? Good morning DJ.” Branch walked in, holding his head. He was hung over, and his head was pounding. He went to the bathroom and began running a bath.

“You’re just going to tell us that I mated with Branch, aren’t you?” Creek sighed and watched Branch head for the bathroom.

“Maybe…” Smidge bit her bottom lip and whistled at Branch. “Good morning horndog.”

“I’m going to take that as a yes. Why am I not surprised?” DJ Suki sighed and leaned into Creek. “I’m grounding you to the flower pod.”

Creek smirked and leaned into DJ Suki. “I wish I remembered it now.”

“You had DJ crying last night.” Smidge decided not to tell them what all happened. It might be funny if unexpected children came out of this. Messing with her friends was fun.

“I did?” Creek groaned. “Sorry DJ…”

“I don’t remember what upset me.” DJ Suki shrugged. She knew Creek loved Branch, so the fact that they mated while drunk wasn’t a huge surprise to her. She wasn’t thrilled about it, but if he stayed with her, she wasn’t going to make a big deal about it while sober.

“I won’t bring it up then.” Smidge smiled and got down. “Get some rest. We might be down here a while.” She headed for the kitchen to eat. She was starving.

Sassafras headed for the bedroom to take a nap. They all entertained him. He silently wondered if it was going to be like this all the time. It was hilarious.


	17. Working Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During the winter storm, everyone works together to make sure the kids are taken care of.

Harper woke up feeling nauseous. She ran to the toilet and began to puke up a mix of water and juice. She was starting to regret taking Melody and Symphony overnight. She was not feeling too hot. Once she was done getting sick, she went to peek out her window and saw that it was snowing. There was a decent amount on the ground. She groaned, hoping this would not delay Creek and DJ Suki longer. She wanted to just take morning sickness meds and curl back up in bed. She frowned when she heard Symphony start to cry. She closed her eyes and sighed. “I hope they come soon…”

Symphony had a dirty diaper. She was standing by Layla’s bed next to Melody. She didn’t like being wet. She got down and crawled towards the door and reached under it. She hadn’t figured out door handles yet and was not amused that no one was coming to change her.

Layla got up and picked up Symphony. She laid her down on her back and began changing her diaper. She had heard Harper puking and knew she would appreciate the help. Once Symphony was clean and dry, she picked her up and headed out of her room and towards the kitchen. She set Symphony down and grabbed a biscuit. She gave it to Symphony, and then began making breakfast. She was still learning to cook, but she knew how to make pancakes. She began making them.

Melody got up and headed for the bathroom. She had been quiet since Rhythm died. She missed her brother so much. She finished in there, and then walked to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and began to color.

Symphony crawled over to Melody and pulled herself up to a standing position. She reached up and fussed. She wanted to cuddle with her sister.

Melody signaled to her no, and then went back to coloring.

Symphony plopped down on her little bottom and began to cry. She wanted her mama, but mama was not there, so her sissy was good enough right now, but she said no.

Harper walked over and picked up Symphony. “It’s alright sweetheart.” She rubbed her back gently. “Momma and daddy will be here soon.”

Cherry knocked on the door. She had Basil, Twig, Sky, Keith, and Kayura with her. 

Kayura was screaming and fussing. She wanted her mama and was hungry. She didn’t want the bottle.

Harper walked over and answered her door. “I’m not up for company…”

“I’m sorry Harper. I was wondering if you had seen Creek and DJ? Branch, Smidge, and Sass never came home last night, and Kayura is pissed. I’m tired and overwhelmed.” Cherry was on the verge of tears and was wet and cold from treading through the snow. It was up to her waist.

“No, I haven’t. Come on. We will figure this out.” Harper let them in and went to get towels and blankets.

Basil was shivering hard. He never left the house with socks or shoes, so he was very cold. He felt around for a couch or chair. He found the couch and curled up. He snuggled into Sky when he crawled up into the couch with him.

Cherry sat down with Kayura and tried to give her the bottle again, but she wasn’t having it. “I might have to go talk to Queen Fairy. She is nursing. Kayura does not want the bottle. Can you watch the other kids for me while I go over there?”

“Just don’t be gone long. I don’t feel good.” Harper put a couple blankets on Basil and Sky and gave one to Twig.

“I’ll hurry.” Cherry tucked Kayura into her hair, and then went back out in the snow. She headed for the royal flower pod. She reached it and knocked on the door.

Guy Diamond answered the door and frowned, hearing a very angry and upset Kayura wailing in Cherry’s hair. “Come on in Cherry.”

“I have no idea where Smidge is. Kayura doesn’t want the bottle.” Cherry had tears running down her cheeks. She was very tired. Kayura hadn’t let her sleep much at all during the night.

“It’s alright. I got this.” Fairy came in from the bedroom and reached up. She took Kayura when Cherry gave her to her. She let the little one nurse and smiled softly. “Slow down baby girl. You don’t want an upset tummy.”

“I’ll go look for them.” Guy Diamond went to get warm clothes on. He had a feeling that Smidge, Branch, and Sassafras got stuck in Sassafras’ bunker. Once he was dressed, he headed out.

Cherry rubbed her eyes and sniffled. “I’m so tired.”

“Where are the rest of the kids?” Poppy looked worried.

“They’re with Harper.” Cherry looked towards Harper’s flower pod. “She doesn’t feel good. I need to go back.”

“I’ll go get her. The kids can come here. She needs to rest.” Poppy put on warm clothes and headed through the snow towards Harper’s flower pod.

“Thank you Poppy…” Cherry sat down on the couch and leaned back. She groaned, feeling exhausted. “I hope they are alright.” She was worried about Smidge, Branch, Creek, DJ Suki, and Sassafras.

Fairy sat down by Cherry and held Kayura close. The little one was dozing off now that she had a full belly. “I’m sure they’re fine. They probably got stuck in that bunker.”

“I sure hope so. I thought they were coming home last night.” Cherry closed her eyes, feeling very tired. She was starting to doze. Within minutes she passed out.

Fairy smiled softly. She tucked Kayura into her hair, and covered Cherry with a blanket. “Get some rest Cherry.” She went to Crystal’s cradle and set Kayura next to Crystal. She headed back out and began making breakfast.

Poppy soon returned with Basil, Sky, Twig, Keith, Melody, and Symphony. She set Symphony down and smiled softly. “There we go. I’m sure Harper will appreciate the break. She looks exhausted.”

Basil ran towards Pearl’s room and went into her bedroom. He crawled into bed with her and snuggled. She was nice and warm. “My Pearl!”

“Oh! You’re cold!” Pearl snuggled into Basil and shivered. “My Basil…” She smiled and cuddled close. “I'll warm you up…”

Guy Diamond returned from Sassafras’ bunker. “They’re stuck for a little while. I can’t get that door open. At least they have provisions down there.”

“That’s alright. We can take care of the kids while they’re stuck.” Poppy went to make hot cocoa for the kids. She was more than happy to help. Especially after all what Sassafras had done for them, and they were all her close friends after all.


	18. Snowed In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a major snow storm, everyone is forced to stay home until the snow melts.

It had been a couple days since the snow storm. The snow was too deep for anyone to get through without having to dig through, so everyone was snowed in. This was not good news for Basil, Cherry, Pearl, and Symphony. They all had come down with a nasty bug, and there was no way to get Honey to them safely. They had been quarantined in Pearl’s room, and Guy Diamond was the unlucky one to get to take care of them.

Basil was curled up in the corner of the room, shivering. He had a fever and didn’t feel too hot. Of the four kids, he was the sickest. He was coughing and had a poor appetite.

Guy Diamond put a cold cloth on Basil’s forehead and had him swallow some medicine for fever. “Try to sleep little guy. It’s going to be alright.” He walked over and changed little Symphony. She was the second sickest and was out cold. He wiped her down with a cool cloth. He was worried about her.

Cherry watched from her spot on the floor. She was covered in sweat but was not as sick as the younger kids. She was hoping to sleep it off, but she had been coughing.

Pearl was snuggled up to a stuffed animal and was asleep. She was feverish as well.

Basil got up and headed for the door.

Guy Diamond stopped him and frowned. “Lay back down little one. You need to rest.

“I need to go.” Basil reached for the door.

Guy Diamond turned him and led him back to his spot on the floor. “I don’t want anyone else getting sick kiddo. Stay in bed.”

Basil’s belly rumbled and he held his backside. “I need the toilet…” He whimpered and began to get sick out of both ends.

“Oh geez, sorry kid…” Guy Diamond groaned and quickly grabbed a trashcan. He gave it to Basil to puke into. He then walked into the bathroom and started a bath.

Cherry put the blanket over her head and groaned. That smelled awful.

Basil finished getting sick, and then stood there with a huge frown on his face. He felt gross.

Twig peeked in and smirked, seeing his brother covered in poop and vomit. He was amused.

Guy Diamond went back in and helped Basil out of his soiled clothes, and then carried him into the bathroom. He set him in the bath. He went back into the bedroom and began cleaning up.

Poppy could smell it. She frowned and began getting dressed. She was going to brave the snow to get Honey. She had a bad feeling that this was only going to get worse. She really didn’t want little Crystal to get sick. She was only a couple months old. Once she was all bundled up she began treading through the snow. It was up to her shoulders. She slowly made her way to Honey’s flower pod and knocked on the door.

Honey answered the door and frowned when she saw Poppy. “It’s way too cold to be out in this.”

“Cherry, Basil, Pearl, and Symphony are really sick. I need help.” Poppy looked desperate.

“Sprout, stay with Bee and Bumble.” Honey got dressed in warm clothes, and then headed out with Poppy. They headed for the royal flower pod. Once there, she went in and began healing the four sick kids. “I will probably have to come back. This appears to be highly contagious.”

“I’m sorry mom. I appreciate you.” Poppy began to make coffee, knowing she would appreciate some.

Honey got all the kids healed, and then settled down for a cup of coffee. She had a feeling it was going to be a long week for her. It was never easy when viruses spread.


	19. Midwinter Birthday Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Close friends gather to celebrate birthdays.

A month and a half had gone by since the snow storm that had trapped Smidge, Branch, Sassafras, Creek, and DJ Suki. Poppy had invited all her friends and their kids over for a big birthday party. It was Branch and Jewel’s birthday today, but they were also celebrating River, Sky, Basil, Twig, and Melody’s birthdays too.

Creek was very sad. It would have been Rhythm’s seventh birthday, if he was still alive. He also wasn’t feeling very good. He sat in a corner and hugged his knees. He wanted to be left alone.

DJ Suki was also feeling nauseous. She set Symphony down in the living space, and then went to the bathroom to hover over the toilet. 

Symphony was a lot sturdier on her feet. She walked over to Basil and snuggled into him. She struggled to communicate with him, but she did love her older half-brother.

Basil smiled and gave Symphony a snuggle hug. He loved cuddling with her. He wished he could figure out how to communicate better with her. He couldn’t see the signals, and she was still learning how to read lips.

Twig was hovering Basil. He had been silently following him all day. He had a feeling it was bugging him, and he was enjoying watching him squirm.

Branch was raiding the snacks on the kitchen table. He was very hungry and couldn’t wait for lunch. He put a biscuit in his mouth, grabbed some dried fish, and a cupcake. He walked over to the couch with his snacks and sat down.

“Fish and a cupcake? You’re pregnant.” Marjoram giggled and scooted closer to Branch. “You three are going to be busy.”

Biggie snort giggled and sat beside Branch. “Yep, especially with Smidge having twins.”

Smidge had a huge grin on her face. She could see that Creek and DJ Suki didn’t feel good, and that Branch was acting like he was starving. She couldn’t wait to see what the babies looked like. This was going to be entertaining.

“Yeah, I figured I was pregnant.” Branch made a fish sandwich with the biscuit, and then began eating it.

Poppy walked over to Branch and took the cupcakes. “You’re not spoiling dinner.” She walked over and set the cupcakes down with the other cupcakes.

River was watching Branch quietly. She was trying to figure out what it was she was seeing with him. She was still learning her spiritual abilities.

“You see it too?” Sky asked River and smiled when she nodded. “I wonder what it is.”

Basil walked over to Branch and snuggled into him. He had been very clingy to Branch lately. Twig hadn’t been nice to him, and he could sense that Twig was following him around. He smiled, sensing life within him. “Daddy, you have three babies inside you.”

“I see triplets too.” Creek got up and walked over. He wondered if any of them were his babies.

Smidge put her hands to her cheeks. “Oh my god!” She walked over and looked at Basil. “How do you know that?” She was curious, since he couldn’t see the spirits.

“I just know.” Basil shrugged. He wasn’t sure how to explain. “Daddy is surprised.” He smiled and hugged Branch.

Branch had his mouth gapped open. He shot a glare towards Sassafras.

Sassafras smirked. He was amused and proud. “You’re welcome.”

“Come here Basil.” Creek pulled him over and sat down with him. “You can sense spirits son. Not sure how, but you can.” He smiled softly. “Seems you can sense emotions too. I am going to have you join River and Sky during spirit lessons. We will figure this out together.”

“OK papa.” Basil hugged him and smiled. “You’re pregnant too. I get more siblings from you.”

Creek sighed softly. “I figured I was. You have a brother or sister coming from DJ too.”

“Another trolling explosion? Well I suppose that’s a good thing, after we lost so many lives.” Guy Diamond smiled softly.

Smidge heard this and had the hugest grin on her face. The orgy did indeed produce babies. Although having six sounded like a lot, she was completely alright with this. She still had plans of talking Creek and DJ Suki into watching her kids every weekend for a year. She was determined.

“Oh god, this means there will be six more babies to watch.” Cherry groaned and rubbed her temples. “Branch can’t keep his pants on.”

“I know a few other trolls who can’t keep their pants on either.” Smidge snorted and began to laugh.

Everyone shot a glance at Smidge. She had been acting odd since being stuck in Sassafras’ bunker. They were wondering what the heck was going on with her. She seemed to be acting more maniacal, then usual.

“Smidge, you been acting weird.” Poppy grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom.

Smidge smirked and walked with her. She bit her bottom lip and winked at Sassafras. She had told him to keep his mouth shut. She was having too much fun with this.

Poppy closed the door and put her hands on her hips. “What the heck is going on? I haven’t seen you this amused since the day you hid DJ’s headphones.”

“Not telling. It’s a secret.” Smidge looked amused.

“You, keeping secrets from me? That’s a first.” Poppy smiled at her. “Alright, I’m cool with that. Can’t wait to figure out what you’re up to, because I love seeing you smile.”

“Oh, believe me, it will be worth the wait.” Smidge giggled and gave Poppy a hug.


	20. Female Doppelganger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lost and found troll looks like a female version of another villager.

A couple weeks later, the peace of the evening was interrupted by the sudden screams from just outside the village. A wingdingle was chasing a female troll named Leaf and was trying to catch her. She found a hollow in a tree and went inside the hole. She breathed hard and backed up as far as she could. She was extremely frightened. The bird had almost caught her, and she was injured.

The screams had everyone blending in and hiding. They held still when they saw the hunting bird.

Cricket grabbed his bow and arrows. He took aim at the bird and released. He hit it in the heart, killing it. He walked that way and pulled the arrow out of the bird. He looked around for the source of the scream. “Hello? You’re safe now. I killed it.”

Leaf peeked out but made no advances towards Cricket. She saw the dead wingdingle and backed up again. She swallowed hard and put her hand to her chest. She was still scared.

Guy Diamond hurried over and looked around. “Who was screaming?” He had a bad feeling the wingdingle had eaten someone. It had tufts of troll hair in its talons. The hair was lavender colored, which could have been several different trolls in the village.

“I don’t know.” Cricket frowned and looked at Guy Diamond. “We should do a role call?” He was worried himself. He thought of cutting the bird up, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to see who was in there. He had become close to everyone.

“Yeah, let’s do role call.” Guy Diamond looked around, to make sure where were no more wingdingles around. He headed for the middle of the village and cleared his throat. “Can I have your attention please? I need all lavender haired trolls to report to me immediately.” He watched as they all gathered and smiled when he saw that everyone was present and accounted for. “Thank god…” He frowned and looked towards the dead wingdingle. “Who the hell got caught?”

Everyone looked confused and began to gather around the wingdingle. They were wondering the same thing.

Leaf watched from inside the hollow of the tree. She had gone gray. The troll that had been caught and eaten was her mate. She stayed quiet as she watched them. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“Well, I’m getting rid of this before it attracts other predators.” Cricket grabbed it with his hair and began dragging it away.

Guy Diamond walked with him to make sure that he wasn’t attacked.

Everyone started to head home. They didn’t really want to be out knowing a predator had just attacked, and it was getting dark.

Sprout waited on a tree branch and watched for Cricket and Guy Diamond to get back. He wanted to make sure they came home safely.

Once she thought no one was watching, Leaf crawled out of the hollow and headed for the edge of the territory. She had tears running down her cheeks. She was very upset.

Sprout saw her and hurried after her. “Hold on! Come back!” He stopped in front of her.

Leaf whacked him with her hair, and then went around him. She blended into the grass and watched him with wide eyes.

Sprout widened his eyes when she whacked him and watched her blend into the grass. “I’m not going to hurt you. You need to get into the village. It’s not safe outside at night.”

“Leave me alone…” Leaf sniffled and rubbed her tears away.

“Let me help you.” Sprout approached her and took her hand. He frowned, sensing she was pregnant the moment he touched her. “It’s going to be alright.”

“No it’s not going to be alright…” Leaf tried to have him let go of her hand, but he had a death grip on her. The sting from her wounds began to fade. Sprout was healing her.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” Sprout led her towards the village. He looked concerned.

Leaf hesitated but followed him. She looked around with wide eyes.

Sprout got to Harper’s flower pod and walked in. He shut the door and turned on the light.

“Oh my god, is Branch OK?” Harper hurried over and blinked, realizing it was not a gray Branch. This was a female. “Oh, sorry you look just like one of our villagers when he was gray.” She could see blood on her skin and clothes, and that her sweater and pants were torn up. “I’ll get a bath running.” She walked over to the bathroom and began running a hot bath.

Layla came out of the bedroom and stopped. She looked at Leaf warily.

Leaf looked confused. She could see that this troll was also pregnant. She swallowed hard and watched Harper go into a back room. She heard the water running and sighed. “My name is not Branch. My name is Leaf.”

“My name is Sprout. Nice to meet you Leaf. This is Layla, and the rainbow troll is Harper.” Sprout watched her. He was worried about her. She looked frightened.

Harper came back out with one of her dresses. “Here’s a dress. Go ahead and take a bath. You will feel better.”

“Thank you…” Leaf took the dress and went into the bathroom. She locked the door and took off her torn up clothes. She swallowed hard and put her hand on her belly. “It’s just you and I now kid…” She sniffled and stepped into the bath. She sank down into the hot water and groaned, feeling sore. She buried her hands into her face and began to sob. She was extremely upset.

“Poor mama…” Sprout could hear her sobbing. “I’m going to go talk to Poppy. She will want to know.” He headed out the door.

“Stay safe…” Harper watched him go and closed the door. She walked over to the bathroom door and listened to Leaf cry. She had so many questions but was afraid to overwhelm the obvious extremely upset rogue.

Leaf sniffled and bathed. She finished up quickly and got out. She dried off and got the dress on. She opened the door and headed for the corner. She sat down and watched Harper and Layla with wide eyes. She was petrified.

Sprout returned with Poppy. He walked over to Harper and held her hand.

“You do look a lot like Branch.” Poppy observed out loud. She walked over to Leaf and sat in front of her. “Hello Leaf, my name is Poppy. I’m one of the queens here. Sprout says he saw you leaving the territory injured. Were you the one that was screaming earlier?”

Leaf nodded and looked down. “Yes, I was the one that was screaming.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “I’m scared…”

“How old are you Leaf?” Poppy asked curiously.

“I’m twenty-two…” Leaf rubbed her eyes. “I’m invading your territory.”

“That’s alright. I’m not here to punish you. You’re clearly frightened. You shouldn’t be out alone. It’s not safe.” Poppy scooted closer and frowned, seeing she had a tiny bump. “How far along are you?”

Leaf swallowed hard. “I’m five months along. We were trying to find a home.”

“We? Your mate?” Poppy looked worried.

“Yes, he was just killed.” Leaf began to cry again. She startled when Poppy pulled her into a hug. She was not sure about this.

“I’m so sorry.” Poppy hugged her and held her. “You don’t have to look for a home anymore. You’re welcome to stay here.”

“You can sleep on my bed.” Layla offered. She didn’t like that Leaf was so upset.

“Let’s figure this all out tomorrow. Looks like Layla volunteered her bed. You should get some rest.” Poppy helped Leaf up and led her towards Layla’s room.

Leaf looked at the twelve-year old’s room. She sat at the edge of the bed. She sighed and curled up in the bed. She was very tired.

Layla grabbed blankets and a pillow. She set up spot on the floor and snuggled into her temporary bed and looked up at Leaf. She was very curious about this new troll. She looked so much like gray Branch.

Poppy closed the door and looked at Sprout and Harper. “I’ll find her a home in the morning. Thank you for taking care of her. Both of you.”

“Of course.” Sprout hugged Poppy and walked her out the door. He walked with her to make sure she got home safely.

“You’re welcome Poppy. Have a good night.” Harper watched Poppy head home with Sprout. She sighed and glanced towards Layla’s room. She wondered what this troll was like.


	21. Face To Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smidge insists on meeting the new troll.

A week after arriving at Troll Village, Leaf was walking towards Branch, Smidge, and Sassafras’ home with Poppy. Poppy had talked her into going. Smidge had insisted that she meet this new troll, but she had recently put on bedrest. She was very heavily pregnant with her twins, and Branch was worried she would have her babies too early.

Poppy got to the door and knocked on it.

Sassafras answered the door and smiled. “Hello Poppy, come on in.”

Leaf looked at Sassafras as they walked in. She was quiet but had calmed down considerably the last week. She was still gray. She didn’t really want to go out, but Poppy had been very insistent.

Smidge got out of bed when she heard Sassafras say hi to Poppy. She headed into the living room and widened her eyes when she saw Leaf. “Why is Branch in a sweater dress? And gray? Wait…” She got closer and looked up at her. “Oh my god!” She looked shocked.

Poppy snorted and began to giggle. She had refrained from telling Smidge about Leaf’s appearance. She was wondering how long it would take her to notice.

Sassafras grinned. “She does look like a gray Branch.” He recalled when they first moved into the area that Branch had been gray.

Branch came in with smoked fish. He looked confused when he came up behind Leaf. “What on earth?” He set the smoked fish aside and looked her over. “Where the hell did you come from and how the fuck are you related to me?!” He was very confused. He thought Pansy was dead. She looked just like an older version of her.

“I’m not related to you.” Leaf looked confused. She just happened to look like Branch. “I don’t have any brothers that look like me.”

“I don’t get it.” Basil looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

Sky walked over and looked at Leaf. “You look like my dad.”

“That’s what everyone keeps saying.” Leaf smiled softly at the twin boys.

Smidge was still in shock. Her mouth was gapped open.

Sassafras chuckled and picked up Smidge. He headed for the bedroom. “You should be in bed little mama.” He set her down in bed and sat beside her. “I’m protective.”

“You shouldn’t be carrying me.” Smidge grumbled and crossed her arms. “I’m protective too.”

“No seriously, how are you related to me? You look like I did when I was gray.” Branch saw her swollen belly. “You should be resting.”

“I know I should be resting. I was telling that to Poppy before I was dragged here.” Leaf glanced at Poppy, who was smirking. “So, you’re the Branch that everyone keeps talking about?” She looked him up and down and could see that he was the same colors she was. “I have the light teal skin and royal blue hair too.” She bit her bottom lip, feeling a contraction.

“This is amazing. I mean I know it’s possible, but I didn’t think it could happen outside of a family.” Poppy looked entertained. She frowned, noticing that Leaf looked uncomfortable. “Are you alright?”

“Poppy…” Branch sighed and crossed his arms. “You better lay down. Looks like you are having a contraction.” He looked concerned. He hoped she was due, because that facial expression told him she was not going to be pregnant much longer.

“Have a good day.” Leaf swallowed hard and turned to go.

Poppy smiled softly and led Leaf to the couch. “Lay down. You’re not due for another three weeks. Let’s see if these contractions will stop on their own.

“Here, let’s lay her down in Cherry’s bed.” Branch motioned her towards Cherry’s room. He knocked on the door. “Cherry, we need to borrow your bed.”

Poppy and Leaf followed him.

“Why?” Cherry opened the door and frowned, seeing a pregnant female version of her brother in the hallway with Poppy. She sighed and opened her door. She went to grab blankets and pillows. She mumbled that she didn’t really want blood all over her bed.

“That was a guess on my due date...” Leaf held her belly during a contraction. Once it eased, she laid on the bed and hugged into a pillow. She was scared and was not sure about all these trolls being around while she was having her baby.

“Thank you, Cherry.” Branch went towards the kitchen and made a snack. He was hungry and wanted to give Leaf privacy. He already knew Poppy wasn’t going to be giving her any.

Cherry gave some blankets to Leaf, and then sat down and went back to reading.

“I’m sorry Leaf. If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought you here.” Poppy sighed and rubbed her right arm. She felt guilty.

“I wish Rush was here…” Leaf teared up and began to cry when another contraction came.

Cherry looked up when Leaf began to cry. She got up and walked over to her. “Who’s Rush?” She suddenly looked concerned.

“Her mate.” Poppy sat by Leaf and grabbed a tissue out of her hair. She dried Leaf’s tears. “He died last week.”

Leaf sniffled and took a deep breath. “Oh god…” She looked up when Kayura crawled into the room. “How many kids live here?”

“Six. It’s about to be twelve.” Cherry smiled softly. “Branch, Smidge, and Sass are all pregnant. Branch is having triplets, and Smidge is having twins.”

“Hello big girl. You’re crawling already.” Poppy walked over and picked up her up. “You’re so heavy.” She headed for the living space with her.

“That’s a lot of kids.” Leaf watched Poppy leave with her.

“My brother can’t keep his pants on.” Cherry sighed and sat by the edge of the bed. “He has a lot of kids.”

“So you’re his younger sister?” Leaf asked curiously. She breathed and hugged the pillow tightly. She was very uncomfortable.

“Yeah, he took me in when I was eight.” Cherry smiled softly. “He saved my life.”

“You don’t look like him.” Leaf smiled softly.

“He looks more like mom did, and I look more like our dad. I have my grandma’s violet eyes though.” Cherry sighed. “Neither of my parents are alive anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” Leaf sighed and groaned. “Oh god…” She buried her face into the pillow.

“It’s a blessing really.” Cherry looked up when Poppy came in. “Is it normal to hurt this much during labor?” She could see that Leaf was in a lot of pain.

“Yes, but the baby is worth it.” Poppy sat beside Cherry and grabbed Leaf’s hand. “I’m just glad you won’t have to do this alone Leaf. It’s scary when you have everyone around, but it’s even scarier when you’re alone. Although Fairy doesn’t seem to mind living that part of life on the edge.”

“Well yeah, she had Pearl and Habanero alone.” Cherry smiled softly.

“Alone sounds scary.” Leaf frowned. Now that she was in labor, she was glad that Cricket dragged her into the village. With the increasing pain she was feeling, she was glad she wasn’t alone. She was still scared, but this was a lot less terrifying.

“Are you doing alright?” Branch came in with a glass of water and offered it to Leaf. “Keep hydrated. It helps.”

“Scared…” Leaf said honestly. She took a drink of water and gave it back. “You’re all so nice.” She gritted her teeth and let out a cry. “Oh god, I feel like I’m being split in two…”

Branch went to pull her underwear off and yelped when she kicked him in the balls. He groaned and held himself. He passed out and fell over.

“Oh god, he’s pregnant. That was not wise.” Poppy laid him down flat and fanned him.

“He should have warned her.” Cherry shook her head.

Leaf looked over at Branch between contractions. She was flushed and unamused. She reached down, feeling her baby was close. She let out another cry during the next contraction. She pulled the little boy up as he was born and breathed hard. She cleaned his face with the blanket and sobbed as he let out cries. “Oh my god, he looks just like Rush…”

Poppy looked up and smiled softly. “Oh, he’s so pretty.” She got up and helped Leaf clean the baby off.

Cherry watched on and smiled softly. “He’s a beautiful shade of dark purple.”

Branch groaned and cracked his eyes open. “Oh god…” His manhood hurt.

“You scared me Branch.” Leaf glared at him. She held her son close and ran her hand through his lavender colored hair. “I’m going to name you after your daddy.”

“Appropriate name anyway. He seemed to be in a rush to get here. You were not in labor that long.” Poppy smiled softly.

Sassafras walked in and frowned when he saw Branch on the floor. “What happened here?”

“I got kicked where it counts.” Branch was still holding himself.

“He tried to pull undies off a strange female. He got what he had coming.” Cherry added.

“Ouch…” Sassafras sat by Branch and rubbed his back. “I bet you won’t be doing that again…”

“You would think he would have learned when Marjoram kicked him in the chin.” Poppy smiled softly.

“I was trying to help…” Branch grumbled and glared at Leaf.

Leaf eyed him challengingly. She was protective of her baby. She couldn’t help it. After all she had been through lately, she had every right to be this protective.

“Alright, everyone but Leaf and Rush Junior are to leave my room. Out out out!” Cherry shooed them all out. She helped Branch to his feet and kicked him out too. She turned to Leaf and smiled softly. “You can stay in my bed for as long as you need. I’ll be in my corner reading.” She walked over to her book and sat down. She went back to reading.

“Thank you.” Leaf let Rush Junior feed and closed her eyes. She was exhausted. She knew this was going to be the start of a very long road. She hoped she could do the best for her son. It was the least she could do.


	22. Full Of Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new day is full of surprises for everyone.

A few more weeks had gone by, and Smidge was two weeks from her due date. She was snuggled up to Branch when she woke up during a contraction. She hugged into his arm and winced. “Branch…” She was sweating. She had slept through some of her contractions.

Branch sat up and yawned. He looked at Smidge and frowned. “Uh oh, hold on Sweetheart.” He got ready to go. It was still cold outside. He put Smidge in a sweater dress. “Let’s get you to the medical pod. We don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“I’ll stay here and watch the kids.” Sassafras watched from the side of the bed. He was four and a half months along himself and was tired anyway.

“I don’t think I am going to make it to the medical pod. The contractions are too close together.” Smidge held her belly and gritted her teeth.

“We got to try.” Branch picked her up and headed out the door.

“Branch! I’m not going to make it!” Smidge cried out in pain and hugged into him. “You’re not listening!”

Leaf, whom had been living with them because Cherry ended up talking her into it, followed when she heard Smidge cry out in pain. She looked concerned. Little Rush was in her hair. 

Basil had followed too. He was concerned about Smidge’s cries.

“I’m not going to lose you.” Branch ran as fast as he could. “Almost there…”

“The baby is coming out now!” Smidge panicked and hit him in the shoulder angrily. She didn’t want the baby to drop to the ground.

Leaf heard that and hurried over. She reached under Smidge and grabbed the baby was she was born. “She wasn’t kidding Branch!” She wiped the baby’s face with her sleeve and held her close as she let out cries. She looked just like Smidge and was tiny like her too. “It’s alright baby, I got you.” She shot a glare at Branch and hurried towards the medical pod.

“It’s too cold for the baby.” Basil looked concerned.

Branch cringed and followed Leaf. He set Smidge down in a bed. “I’m so sorry Smidge. I’m scared.”

Smidge grabbed his sweater and pulled him close, so they were face to face. “I’m going to kill you!” She let out a cry. “The second baby is coming out!”

Leaf got a blanket and finished cleaning the first baby. She looked worried about her, even though she was crying loudly.

Basil grabbed Smidge’s hand and frowned. “It’s OK mama…” He could sense she was worried and angry.

Branch checked and saw that this baby was indeed coming. He grabbed a blanket and got ready to catch the second twin. He caught her. She was a tiny light teal glitter trolling, with blue green hair. She began to cry as soon as her daddy got her cleaned up. “What the what?! Where the hell did the glitter come from?!”

Medical trolls came over and helped with the babies.

“Glitter?!” Smidge looked down and widened her eyes. Sure enough, the second twin was a glitter trolling. She looked at Branch. She was confused.

Poppy was in the medical pod with Honey. She walked over and smiled. “Aww, Smidge they’re so cute.”

“They’re very cute.” Leaf watched the medical trolls work on warming them and getting them bundled up.

Branch was fuming. He backed away and glared at Smidge. “You cheated on me?! And after giving me such a hard time about Sassafras?! How could you?!”

“What?! Branch those are your babies! I have only been with you! Well until Sassy joined our family…” Smidge looked shocked.

“Calm down Branch…” Poppy frowned and crossed her arms. “I’m sure there is a logical explanation for this.”

“Yeah! She cheated on me!” Branch snapped and glared at Smidge. He was not amused.

“My grandmother Kayura was a glitter troll! You’re a dense moron!” Smidge snapped at him. She was not amused. “I did not cheat on you!” She was livid.

Basil hid behind Leaf. His parents were scaring him.

“Branch is a dense moron.” Leaf smiled and crossed her arms. She was in full agreement there.

“Branch, are any of your relatives glitter trolls? If it is on both sides, you have a tiny chance of having a glitter trolling.” Poppy looked between them. “I mean look at her, she is light teal just like you.”

“My grandfather was a glitter troll.” Branch grumbled. He didn’t like his grandfather. He was not amused.

“So, this child is your child. Stop being a hormonal asshole.” Smidge had her arms crossed. She was sore, tired, and ticked.

Basil moved over to Poppy and hugged her. He put his hand on her belly and smiled. “Hello baby…”

Poppy looked down at Basil with wide eyes. She looked surprised. “What?!”

“Nice subject change Basil.” Leaf smiled softly. She thought he was very adorable.

Branch sat down and put his hand on his slightly swollen belly. He was cranky and tired. “I hate glitter.”

“I think you made that abundantly clear Branch. Calm your high horse.” Smidge looked at Poppy. “Are you alright?”

 

“I can’t be pregnant. I’m not ready.” Poppy teared up and began to cry. It had been just over four months since she had lost Angel, but she didn’t feel ready. She walked over to Honey. “Mom, am I really pregnant?”

Honey reached over and put her hand on Poppy’s belly. She smiled and nodded. “Yes sweetheart, you’re pregnant.”

Leaf followed Poppy and smiled when she heard that Poppy was expecting. “Congratulations…”

Poppy’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

Leaf eased her down and frowned. “Poppy?!” She moved out of the way as a couple medical trolls swarmed her and checked her over.

Honey frowned and looked down at Poppy. “Poor mama…”

Smidge looked over and frowned. “I hope she is alright.” She looked at Honey. “Why are you here?”

The medical trolls who had the twins gave them to Smidge. They went over to check Poppy over.

“I’m in labor.” Honey smiled softly.

“Peppy got you pregnant before the disaster? I’m glad you made it to term.” Branch was still cranky, but now looked a little worried about the former queen. He knew she was in her forties, and that was not going to be easy for her.

“We’re here to help you Honey.” Smidge offered, and then glared at Branch. She wasn’t going to let him say no.

“I’m glad I made it to term too.” Honey closed her eyes and breathed. She quietly delivered her last baby and pulled him to her chest. He looked like Peppy. He let out cries. He was healthy. She cleaned him up, since everyone was busy checking on Poppy. She knew what to do after all. “Hello Jubilee…”

Poppy cracked her eyes open and then began to cry. She was upset and scared.

Smidge watched on, worried about Honey and Poppy. She sighed and looked at her twins. “Branch, I was thinking Coral and Ginger?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Branch looked at the twins and sighed. He still couldn’t believe Smidge had a glitter baby. He hoped there would be no more. He hated glitter.


	23. A Painful Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension between a couple comes to a head.

“Get the hell out of my sight Creek!” DJ Suki threw a crumpled-up piece of paper out of the flower pod as Creek headed out the door. They had had several fights in the last four months after the orgy. She was fuming about what was on the paper and still didn’t feel right. She hadn’t been feeling right the whole pregnancy. Her cheeks were flushed as she picked up Symphony and headed towards Poppy’s flower pod. She was in a bad mood and didn’t want her kids to suffer because of her bad mood. “Come on Melody, mama needs a break.”

Creek grumbled and headed for the river to sit by the it. He decided he would meditate now that he had given DJ Suki the letter that he had written to her.

Poppy was on her way home. She had just helped Sprout through Harper’s labor and deliver. She looked and felt exhausted.

“Are you alright Poppy?” DJ Suki asked as she approached her. “You look tired.”

“Harper had a difficult delivery. I was there to help them since this is Sprout’s first baby. I had to make sure he didn’t faint on her. They had a little boy. They decided to name him Hickory. I’m heading home for a nap.” Poppy saw she had her kids. “I’m not up to babysitting. I’m very sorry.”

“It’s alright. I will go ask Biggie. Get some rest Poppy.” DJ Suki headed for Biggie and Marjoram’s flower pod. She got to the flower pod and knocked on the door.

Winter answered the door and squealed happily. “Melody!” He tackled into her and hugged her tight. He was very excited to see her.

Melody smiled and hugged him. She was happy to see him. Especially with how cranky her parents were.

“Uh oh, another fight?” Biggie walked over and took Symphony.

Symphony made grunting noises and reached towards Marjoram. She signaled for her to come and take her. She wanted to snuggle with her.

Marjoram giggled and walked over. “Hello baby girl.” She signaled that she loved her, and then picked her up and walked towards the kitchen. She gave her a cookie, and then sat down and went back to reading.

“Yeah, he hasn’t been the same since we moved here.” DJ Suki broke down and began to cry. “He’s jealous of Sassafras being with Branch. It’s like our relationship doesn’t matter anymore. He gave me an upsetting letter. I’m not sure he is thinking straight. Branch doesn’t even care about him.” She gagged and ran towards the bathroom. She began getting sick into the toilet.

Biggie cringed and followed her. “You look like you’ve lost weight. Are you getting sick like this regularly?” He rubbed her back gently. He felt bad for her. He couldn’t imagine how it felt to be rejected.

“Morning sickness medicine hasn’t been working.” DJ Suki held her stomach and groaned. “I’m also upset with Smidge. She says more happened the night we were all in Sassafras’ bunker then I think happened. She won’t tell me what it was. I’m very stressed out.”

“You’re more then welcome to stay here for a few nights if it might help you DJ. You don’t want to lose that baby.” Biggie smiled softly. “Is there anything you’re keeping down? I can make sure we have plenty of it.”

“I would appreciate that Biggie. You’re the best.” DJ Suki hugged into him and sighed softly. “I’ve been eating a lot of fish chowder and crackers. Cookies too. Symphony has been helping me eat the cookies. I think I should have named her Cookie.” She smiled softly. Despite her concerns over raising a deaf child, Symphony had been the sweetest girl. She wouldn’t trade her for anything.

“Cookie would be a cute nickname.” Biggie chuckled and led her towards the kitchen. “Let’s have some mint tea and see if that stomach won’t settle.” He began gathering crackers and tea. He warmed some tea up for her.

Meanwhile, back by Creek and DJ Suki’s flower pod, Guy Diamond saw the crumpled-up paper. He picked it up, opened it up, and began to read it.

“-Dear DJ,

It has been nearly eight years since we got married, and I would never want to trade that time for the world. I have enjoyed our daughters and son. We have shared a lot of memories and love together.

It is with a heavy heart, that I’m requesting we get a divorce. This isn’t your fault. I just can’t do it anymore. We can no longer get along under the same house. I’m very sorry to do this while you’re pregnant, but the stress is getting to be too much for me and my own pod. I’ll move my things out immediately, so don’t worry about that. I‘ll be happy to continue helping raise our children. This isn’t their fault.

Best regards,

Creek”

“Oh my god…” Guy Diamond walked over to the flower pod and opened the door. He frowned, seeing that no one was home. “That the heck happened? Those two were so happy together…” He looked confused. Once he realized no one was home, he left the flower pod and began looking for one or both. He was concerned. Both were pregnant, and this wasn’t good for either of them. Stress was not good for unborn pods. He found Creek by the river and walked over to him. “Creek? Please explain this letter?”

Creek looked over at Guy Diamond. He got up and walked over. “DJ Suki and I are getting a divorce.” He sighed and looked down. “She’s been paranoid lately. She keeps fussing over the fact that I gawk over Branch. I admit I love the guy, but I can’t handle her being like that. I’m stressed out.”

“She’s scared Creek. She’s told Poppy more than once that she thinks you will leave her for Branch.” Guy Diamond looked concerned. “What are you going to do about the babies? Obviously, her baby will be your baby.”

“Maybe. We woke up with Branch in the bed with us. For all I know, that baby is Branch’s baby. We were too drunk to remember what happened, and with the way Smidge is acting, Branch probably had sex with her. If it’s not my baby, I have nothing to worry about.” Creek shrugged and put his hand on his swollen belly. “As far as my baby is concerned, I will manage. It’s not like there aren’t other single parents around that are raising babies alone. Besides, Branch will want to be a part of his baby’s life. It’ll be alright.”

“Where are you going to go? You shouldn’t be building a flower pod at four months pregnant. That’s very unwise.” Guy Diamond crossed his arms. He wasn’t amused by Creek’s actions.

“I have already started one nearby. I’m managing just fine.” Creek sighed and looked towards his new flower pod. “It’s going to work out Guy. We are no longer getting along and staying together is not good for either of us, or the kids. I have to do what is right.”

“Alright, I’ll let you do your thing then. Let me know what I can do to help.” Guy Diamond backed off and sighed. He was sad to see them split. He wished it didn’t have to be this way.

“I might take you up on the offer Guy.” Creek headed for the old flower pod. He wanted to get started with packing. There was so much to do.


	24. Sincere Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smidge gathers with her friends for an important talk.

It had been a few days since Creek had given DJ Suki the letter, asking for a divorce. Poppy had finally convinced DJ Suki and Creek to come to her flower pod at the same time. She had Smidge, Branch, and Sassafras there. After talking to Smidge, she had convinced Smidge to fess up on what had happened in Sassafras’ bunker. Her game had gone way too far, and it was affecting their friends way more than Smidge ever intended.

“I appreciate you trying to talk us into getting back together Poppy, but it’s over.” Creek followed her. He had already made up his mind.

DJ Suki had been quiet. She had her hand over her belly. She didn’t feel good and hadn’t wanted to come at all. She just wanted to curl up in a ball in bed. “Poppy, I want to go home…”

“Smidge wants to talk to you two, and then you can go home.” Poppy went into the flower pod and walked over to the table. She sat down and looked at Smidge. “Smidge start talking.”

Creek and DJ Suki sat down at the table and looked at Smidge.

Smidge saw that DJ Suki was in poor shape. She swallowed hard and sighed. She looked at them all and then began to explain everything that happened the first night of winter. Once she was all done, she looked down, seeing that Creek, DJ Suki, and Branch were livid. “I’m very sorry…”

“You both let us do all that while you were both sober?!” Branch crossed his arms and looked between Smidge and Sassafras. “Damn it! So, there is a chance that I will have babies from Creek?!”

“Yes, there is a chance.” Smidge nodded and bit her bottom lip. She didn’t see this exploding in her face. It had been hilarious at the time that it happened.

“I’m sorry Branch.” Sassafras had his hand on his swollen belly. He looked guilty.

“Oh god…” DJ Suki leaned back and looked up. She was trying hard not to cry. She had a chance of having Sassafras or Branch’s baby. She was scared. She wasn’t sure what to do now. She thought this was Creek’s child. There was a chance it wasn’t. “I’m going to be sick…” She ran towards the bathroom and began getting sick in the toilet.

“So, you two pretty much raped us?” Creek was fuming.

“It wasn’t rape. You three were in this just as much as we were.” Smidge shook her head. “Don’t you dare call that rape. You asked for it. You even pulled me towards you and kissed me!” She flushed. She was not amused by that accusation.

“I went with the flow. I didn’t think it would cause problems. I have never felt so much love in one room before. It was like we were all one big happy family. You all don’t know what it’s like to be alone for over two years. I was enjoying it.” Sassafras closed his eye and sighed heavily. “If I had known it was going to be like this, I would have never allowed it.”

“I wouldn’t have allowed it either.” Smidge was red in the cheeks. She was mad and a little sad.

Branch sighed and looked down at his swollen belly. “I guess what is done is done.” He looked towards the bathroom. He felt awful for DJ Suki.

DJ Suki came back in. She sat down and sipped on some water. She was pale and her cheeks were flushed. She didn’t feel well.

Creek looked at DJ Suki, and then at Branch, Smidge, and Sassafras. “This won’t happen again.” He got up. “And the divorce is final. I’m leaving.” He headed out the door and towards his flower pod.

Poppy cringed when Creek slammed the door. She looked at DJ Suki and felt her heart sink. “I’m so sorry DJ…”

DJ Suki leaned forward and cried into her hands. She was very stressed out.

Smidge moved closer and hugged DJ Suki. “I’m very sorry DJ.” She felt guilty.

Sassafras looked down and sighed heavily. He felt bad.

Branch walked over to DJ Suki and gave her a hug. “If the baby happens to be mine or Sassafras’ child, we will be happy to take it if you don’t want it. And if you do want it, we will still help you raise it. It’s only fair.”

Poppy walked over and joined in the hug. She had tried to fix it, but it was too late. She just hoped that the stress didn’t make DJ Suki lose her baby. She was under enough stress as it was.

“I appreciate the offer for help. I’m scared.” DJ Suki rubbed her eyes. “Oh god, I don’t feel good.” She groaned and leaned into Poppy. “I feel so sick…”

“Are you still staying at Biggie and Marjoram’s? You shouldn’t be alone until you feel better.” Poppy looked worried.

“Yeah, I am still over at their home.” DJ Suki nodded and sniffled.

“Excuse me…” Sassafras got up to go to the bathroom. He frowned, noticing a small pool of blood on the kitchen seat he was sitting in. He swallowed hard and went to get something to clean it with. He had been in labor the whole time but had been excusing it for cramps. He came back and began cleaning up the mess.

“Sass? You’re bleeding.” Poppy walked over and frowned, seeing it was all over his pants. “Why didn’t you say something?” She attempted to lead him to the couch, but he didn’t budge.

“We were having an important conversation.” Sassafras leaned on the wall and cringed during a contraction. “It’s just cramps.” He had a high pain tolerance, and this was his first-time giving birth.

Smidge frowned and walked over. “Those aren’t cramps. Those are contractions.”

“Let me see…” Branch walked over and gently pulled down his pants. He checked and noticed the baby was close. “We aren’t going to make it home. I need a blanket. Come on Sass, let’s at least lay you down.”

Poppy went to grab a couple blankets. She returned and gave them to Branch.

Sassafras got on his hands and knees and took a deep breath. During the next contraction he gave birth to a little girl. She was dark teal with royal blue hair.

“Wow Sass, you almost had this baby in your pants.” Branch caught her and began cleaning her with a blanket. “What a cutie…” He smiled when she began to cry.

“Geez Sass, you call those cramps?” DJ Suki watched on in shock.

“Now I have seen everything. I never thought I would see a baby being born in my kitchen.” Poppy smiled softly.

“Another girl. Guess we are making up for all those boys.” Smidge smiled softly.

Sassafras eased to a sitting position, and then took his baby and cradled her. “Oh wow, she is beautiful.” He held her close and smiled softly. “If I may, I want to call her Rosemary? It was my mom’s name.”

Branch smiled softly. “Rose…” Tears filled his eyes and he nodded. “Yeah, we can call her Rosemary.”

Smidge smiled softly and grabbed Branch’s hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze, knowing how close he had been to his baby sister.

DJ Suki watched on and sighed. She wanted to be mad at these three, but watching Sassafras have his baby had calmed her down a little bit. She sighed and put her hand on her belly. She had to decide what she was going to do. She was scared. Taking care of Melody and Symphony alone was going to be scary, and she had this little one to worry about too. She hoped things would go smooth, and that he or she would be a good kid. She feared this divorce and was worried about the future of her children.


	25. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DJ Suki’s pregnancy takes a dangerous turn.

Another few weeks went by, and the divorce with Creek and DJ Suki was finalized. Creek had his own flower pod now, and he still had lessons and visitations with his children. He hadn’t talked to Smidge, Branch, Sassafras, or DJ Suki since the day they all had their talk.

DJ Suki was still at Biggie and Marjoram’s home. She still had roughly five weeks left of her pregnancy. She was still getting sick regularly, and nothing was working for her to keep food down. She had lost a considerable amount of weight.

Marjoram went to check on DJ Suki and to give her lunch. She noticed DJ Suki was too weak to get out of bed and she was pale. “Biggie? Help me get DJ to the medical pod. She’s very sick.” She was worried about DJ Suki and her unborn baby. She appeared to be anemic and dehydrated.

“I’m very sorry…” DJ Suki groaned looked up at Biggie when he came in and picked her up.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” Biggie walked towards the medical pod. He arrived and set her down. He sat beside her and watched them set her up for IV fluids. They asked him for blood, and he let them have some. He would do whatever it took to help DJ Suki. He didn’t want to lose her or watch her lose her baby.

Marjoram tucked Symphony in her hair, and walked Winter, Nim, Wisp, and Melody to the medical pod with Biggie. She sat beside Biggie and watched them work on DJ Suki.

“She needs to stay here for the rest of her pregnancy.” Honey was one of the ones helping today. She looked very concerned for the expecting mother. She was dangerously thin and needed extra help with nutritional needs. She had a feeling this baby was going to be born small because of malnutrition, if he or she even made it.

“What about my girls?” DJ Suki looked over at Melody and frowned. She was worried about them.

“We will send them to Creek’s or watch them ourselves. Don’t worry about caring for them. You need to get better.” Biggie reassured her.

“Mew.” Mr. Dinkles watched on, concerned as well for DJ Suki.

“No Mr. Dinkles, DJ will be fine.” Marjoram took DJ Suki’s hand. “You focus on getting better. I will go talk to Creek.” She got up and headed out. She headed for Creek’s flower pod and knocked on the door. She had Melody and Symphony with her. She had left Winter, Nim, and Wisp with Biggie.

Creek answered the door and smiled. “Hey Marjoram. Thank you for bringing the girls over.” He watched Melody wonder in. He took Symphony and set her down by his feet.

“DJ is in the medical pod. She’s very sick.” Marjoram frowned. “I thought you should know.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Creek looked towards the medical pod. He had mixed feelings if he should go see her or not. He decided against it. He was still trying to find a good medium for all this. He had lost interest in her with all her paranoid behavior. He also thought she had been over execrating with all the puking. He thought she was just looking for extra attention.

“You will have the girls until she leaves the medical pod. Good luck…” Marjoram turned to go. She looked sad. She was worried about DJ Suki. She hoped Creek would have it in him to at least go see her. She knew DJ Suki missed him a lot.

Symphony frowned and began to follow Marjoram. She squealed and let out a loud scream when Creek picked her up. She arched her back and began to cry. She wanted to be with her mama.

Creek groaned and brought Symphony inside. He set her down and signaled her no.

Symphony threw herself on the floor and had a full-on tantrum. She wanted her mama.

Melody walked over and pulled Symphony into a hug. She ran her hand through Symphony’s long orange hair. She knew she was upset about DJ Suki being sick. She was scared too.

Creek sighed and went to go make lunch. He cringed at Symphony’s screams. She was being loud. He grumbled that he hoped DJ Suki would leave the medical pod in a few days. She always managed to calm Symphony off better then he did. He always struggled to figure out what she wanted.

Symphony signaled that she wanted her mama. She rubbed her eyes and pointed towards the front door. She was not a happy camper.

Melody picked Symphony up and carried her to the bedroom. She began trying to play with her to distract her. She wasn’t sure what else to do. She knew their mama was too sick to care for them right now.

Back at the medical pod, Leaf was walking in with Rush. He had a fever, and she was in to take care of it. He was still very little, and she didn’t want to take any chances with him.

Honey picked up Rush and healed him. She walked around and hummed for him. She loved helping the babies. “He is so pretty.”

“Thank you for your help Honey. He looks like his daddy. He is going to be a handsome fella.” Leaf watched her with her baby and smiled. She had really warmed up to everyone here. She was still gray, but she had come a long way.

Once Rush was healed, Honey handed him back to Leaf. “If you ever need a babysitter, I will be happy to take him for a little bit.”

“I appreciate that Honey. He’s already stealing everyone’s heart. I have had several volunteers, but I don’t really want to hand him off. He’s all I have left of my mate.” Leaf held Rush close and pat him gently on the back. She was a very protective mama. She looked around as she headed for the door and noticed DJ Suki was in there. She walked over and frowned, noticing she looked ill. “What happened?”

“Bad case of morning sickness. She’s going to spend the rest of her term in the medical pod.” Biggie looked at DJ Suki, whom had fallen asleep. “I’m worried about her.”

“Oh god, she looks so sick. Where is Creek?” Leaf knew Creek had recently divorced her, but she thought he would at least be there for her since she was pregnant.

“Probably at his new home.” Biggie sighed and looked at Winter, Wisp, and Nim. All three were fidgeting with boredom.

“He’s not coming here.” Marjoram said as she walked in. She sighed heavily. “We should go home and have lunch. She needs to sleep.” She didn’t want to go, but she knew that her kids were bored and hungry.

Leaf looked at DJ Suki, and then at her friends. She looked concerned for the mama. She sat by her bedside and let Rush nurse quietly. She didn’t think DJ Suki should be alone. “I’ll stay with her.”

“That is very kind of you Leaf. Thank you.” Biggie headed out of the medical pod with his family.

Leaf watched them go, and then looked at DJ Suki. She didn’t know details, but it didn’t matter to her. She knew how scary it was to be alone to raise a newborn baby, and although her circumstances were different, she felt sympathy for DJ Suki.


	26. Little Cookie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DJ Suki’s baby’s birth scares her and her friends.

A couple more weeks went by. DJ Suki still had three more weeks to go before she was due to give birth. She had managed to maintain her weight in the medical pod thanks to a special diet, IV fluids, and a couple of blood transfusions. She was still weak, and she missed her kids. She hadn’t seen them much since being brought to the medical pod two weeks prior.

Creek didn’t realize that DJ Suki was going to be in the medical pod for this long. He struggled to keep his daughters calm. Both asked regularly to see DJ Suki. He refused to see her. Poppy brought the kids to see DJ Suki a few times, but she was tired and drained from her own pregnancy, so it didn’t happen very frequently. He finally decided to cave and go see her. He had Symphony in his arms as he walked towards the medical pod. He was exhausted and didn’t really want to go, but Melody had begged him to go. He arrived at the medical pod and went around the corner. He frowned, seeing she was much sicker than he had realized.

DJ Suki shot a glare towards Creek. She was not happy to see him. She hugged Melody when she walked over. “Hello sweetheart are you being good for your daddy?”

“Yes mama…” Melody put her hand on DJ Suki’s belly and smiled softly. “Hello little brother.” At least she was hoping her mama was having a boy. She missed Rhythm.

Symphony squirmed with excitement and clung to DJ Suki when Creek set her down in the bed.

Leaf glared at Creek and held Rush close. She wasn’t happy to see Creek either. She was ticked that he hadn’t at least checked on DJ Suki, regardless if the baby was his or not. He was the father of their daughters.

Creek sat down in the chair next to Leaf and looked at DJ Suki. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.” He frowned and reached over to take her hand, but she pulled her hand out of his reach. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. “I’m sorry DJ. I thought you were just trying to get attention. I didn’t think you were this sick.”

“Go away Creek. I’ll find a way to get the girls back home when they are done visiting me.” DJ Suki snuggled with Symphony and closed her eyes. She wanted to keep the girls there, but she knew it wasn’t practical. Even Leaf had to go home to sleep, and she understood that. She really appreciated that Leaf was there most of the day to give her company. Everyone that was close to her had been checking up on her. They were all worried about her.

“Selfish jerk. Go on, get!” Leaf snapped at him. “Trying to get attention. Right…”

Creek cringed and got up. Both DJ Suki and Leaf were expressing uncomfortable emotional auras, most expressing dark red, but also dark green, and a little bit of black. He knew they were livid by the looks on their faces, and the auras they were expressing. “I’m very sorry DJ. Please forgive me?”

“I said go away!” DJ Suki grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. She then turned so her back was to him. She kept Symphony held close. She wasn’t accepting his apology. She gasped, feeling a contraction. She cringed and held her belly.

“Get out of here!” Leaf got up and got between DJ Suki and Creek. She eyed him angrily. She was going to protect DJ Suki. She didn’t like the pain he had already inflicted on her. She didn’t want to see DJ Suki hurt more.

“I think she is going into labor. Can’t I stay while she has the baby?” Creek wanted to be there if the baby was his.

“No! Get out!” DJ Suki sniffled and rubbed Symphony’s back once her contraction eased.

Melody crawled into the bed and snuggled up beside DJ Suki. She didn’t want to leave her mama and was worried that she was going to have to leave.

“You heard her! Go on!” Leaf tucked Rush into her hair and crossed her arms. She didn’t want to make him leave, but she would if she had to.

Creek frowned and turned to go. He headed out the door and towards his flower pod. His heart sank. He was starting to realize he had made a mistake.

DJ Suki felt another contraction start. She swallowed hard and held Symphony to her chest. She was trying not to panic in front of her daughters. She could feel that Melody had snuggled up by her back. “I think he is right. I think labor started. This baby is going to be premature.”

“I’m going to be right here and will see you through labor and delivery.” Leaf went to hold DJ Suki’s hand. She was worried about her. She was hoping she would be strong enough for this. She looked so weak and fragile right now.

Honey came in for her shift. She walked over and checked DJ Suki first. She saw that her kids were there to visit. “How are you feeling DJ?”

“I’m in labor.” DJ Suki swallowed hard. “I’m worried about the baby.”

“I’m going to check.” Honey went to check to see if she was in labor. She pulled the blanket up and saw bits of blood. She frowned and began making DJ Suki comfortable. “It’s indeed labor.” She went to set up the medical pod for the baby. She had a feeling this little one was going to have issues. She wasn’t going to take chances. She didn’t want this baby to die if she could help it.

DJ Suki began to cry. She was petrified that she might lose her baby.

“Is my mommy going to die?” Melody teared up and sniffled.

“No sweetheart, she isn’t going to die.” Leaf reassured her. She moved so was at DJ Suki’s head. She looked DJ Suki in the eyes and smiled softly. “You can do this mama. I know you can.” She gently picked up Symphony and hugged her close. “I’m going to take this one to Biggie’s since she loves Marjoram. Melody? Please come with me? You’re too young to watch birth.”

Symphony fussed and reached for DJ Suki. She was not happy to be pulled from her mama so soon after being given to her.

“I don’t wanna…” Melody started to cry but got up. She knew better then to argue. She slumped her shoulders as she followed Leaf out of the flower pod and towards Biggie and Marjoram’s flower pod.

Once Leaf arrived at the flower pod, she knocked on the door.

Biggie answered the door. He frowned, seeing Leaf had Melody and Symphony. He had several questions but could see that now was not the time to ask. He took Symphony and let Melody in. “Is DJ alright?”

“She’s in labor and is terrified. I’ll let you know how it goes when the baby arrives.” Leaf hurried back towards the medical pod. She didn’t want to be away from DJ Suki for too long. Once back, she went to DJ Suki’s side and took her hand. “I’m back. You won’t be alone through this.”

DJ Suki took Leaf’s hand and squeezed tightly. She breathed through each contraction. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was so tired, and she was very worried. “I hope the baby is alright.”

As contractions got closer together, some of their friends started to arrive, because Biggie had went around and asked for them to join him in the medical pod. Poppy, Guy Diamond, Branch, Smidge, Biggie, Satin, and Chenille were at her bedside as she prepared to deliver her baby. They all wanted to support her. They were also very worried she might die. They didn’t want her to die alone, and if the baby died, they wanted to be there to support her.

DJ Suki cried out when her tiny preemie was born. She looked down when she felt the baby come out. She watched with wide eyes and sobbed. “Please be OK...”

Honey quickly moved the baby away and began cleaning her up. She was a dark raspberry color like her mom and had royal blue hair like Branch, but it was curly. She was smaller then she should have been. After much encouragement from Honey, she began to let out tiny cries. She had a strong will to survive. “Good girl…” She brought her back over to DJ Suki and gently gave her to her mama. “She’s tiny. She’s going to need to stay here until she is bigger and stronger. Hopefully it will only be a week or two.”

“There is my little Cookie.” DJ Suki held her daughter and sniffled. She was very worried about her. “You made mama miserable the whole time she was pregnant, but I forgive you.” She smiled softly and glanced up at Branch. “Brat…”

“She’s a beautiful little girl.” Branch smiled softly and watched from his spot next to her. He didn’t dare reach right now. Leaf scared him a lot. He recalled her kicking him in the balls. He wasn’t going to mess with that. He had his hand on his very round belly. He was supposed to be on bedrest, but he had insisted on being there to support DJ Suki through her delivery. He had promised to be there, whether the baby was his baby or not.

“We will help you DJ Suki. It’s only fair.” Smidge reassured and grabbed Branch’s hand. “Alright daddy, let’s get you home before you pop too.” She led him towards their home. She wanted him to make it closer to term if possible. “I’ll come visit again in a little bit.” They headed out the door.

“Thank you for being here for us.” DJ Suki watched them go, and then began trying to feed Cookie. 

Honey helped her, but the little one was having difficulty latching. Honey took some milk and dripped it slowly into her mouth. She sighed in relief when she swallowed. “There we go.” She tried again to have her nurse off DJ, and this time she latched on. She helped support her. “She isn’t going to give up without a fight. Good girl...”

Satin teared up and wiped a few tears away. She recalled how scary this was with Velvet. She missed him a lot. Chenille rubbed her sister’s back in reassurance. She knew this was hard.

“She is so pretty DJ.” Poppy smiled. “We will help you. All of us. I’m sorry this has been so hard.”

“You can move in with me if you want DJ. I know how scary this is.” Leaf smiled softly. “Rush will appreciate a playmate close to his age anyway, if you accept that is.”

“I may take you up on that offer Leaf. Let’s see how the next week or so pans out.” DJ Suki closed her eyes. She knew she needed to regain her strength and she had no plans of leaving little Cookie anyway. She was going to stay in the medical pod until the little one was strong enough to leave.


	27. Infuriating Circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Creek bites off more than he can chew.

About a week after Cookie was born, Creek had Basil, Sky, and River over. He had Melody and Symphony back home with him as well, so he had a full house. He was giving his spiritually gifted children a lesson. Despite all the drama that had been gone on, he hadn’t forgotten his promise to them to teach them all that he thought they needed to know about their gifts. He was still stressed out himself and had been trying hard to distract himself. He was having major regrets the last week about divorcing DJ Suki, and he was worried about her, but each time he went to the medical pod to see the baby, he got kicked out. It was extremely hard for him. Especially since he was still grieving the loss of Rhythm.

River watched her daddy’s aura. It was mixed with all sorts of different colors and shades. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but a good portion of those colors were dark, which she knew was bad. She squirmed uncomfortably. She was worried about him. “Daddy? Are you OK?”

“Yes sweetheart, I am OK. Just tried. My baby will be born soon.” Creek tried to excuse it, but knew River was smart. She probably knew the answer to her own question but wanted clarification.

“You don’t seem OK.” Sky observed. “Should we go home?” They were still a little young to wonder around alone, but he knew they would be alright if they all walked together home. He knew River was more then welcome at his house and Smidge would happily take her home when it was time.

“I bet the baby will be born today.” Basil put his hand on Creek and nodded. “Yep, I think so. I’m still learning though, so I might be wrong.”

“Let’s go to your house Basil. Can Melody come over to play?” River asked. She loved when Melody came over.

“Alright kids, I will watch you walk to Branch’s. Go straight there, alright?” Creek sighed and walked towards the door to watch them off. He was hoping they were wrong about the baby coming, but they were right about one thing, he was not up for lessons today. He had been uncomfortable and sore all day.

All four headed out the door, leaving Creek alone with little Symphony.

Creek made sure they got to Branch’s flower pod, and then walked over and sat on the couch. He sighed and put his hand on his belly. He groaned, feeling a strong contraction. “Wow those kids are impressively intelligent.” He looked at the time on his hug time bracelet and frowned when another contraction hit just a few minutes. “I shouldn’t be home alone, and these contractions are close together. I better make my way to the medical pod, just to be safe. Besides, I need to find a babysitter.” He walked over and picked up Symphony. He headed out the door and towards Biggie’s home. He knocked on the door once he arrived.

Marjoram answered the door and smiled softly when Symphony pretty much threw herself into her arms. “Hello to you too.” She giggled and held the one-and-a-half-year-old close. “I’m going to start charging babysitting fees.” She half teased Creek, knowing he was still trying to get this all figured out. She frowned, noticing he was in pain. “What are you going to do now that you’re in labor?” She was worried about him.

“I’ll go have the baby at the medical pod.” Creek turned to go. He headed straight for the medical pod. He arrived and went to walk inside. He got face to face with Leaf and widened his eyes. “Let me in please.” He had his hand on his swollen belly. He was in the middle of a contraction.

“Get out!” Leaf snapped at him, not realizing he was in labor.

Creek backed out of the medical pod and held his swollen belly. He leaned on the door frame and breathed. “Oh god, this kid is coming out of me!” He hollered in pain.

“Oh! Come on in, sorry...” Leaf moved so she was out of his way. She could see that blood was starting to stain his pants. She felt bad now for snapping at him.

Creek couldn’t move. He let out another cry and reached into his pants. He grabbed the baby as he came out and pulled him to his chest. He was shaking as he walked back into the medical pod. He grabbed a blanket and began cleaning his son. The little one started crying. He was emerald green like Sassafras but had capri blue hair like the base of Creek’s hair. Other then being a couple weeks early, he was healthy. “Oh god, this kid came out fast.” He took a shaky breath and looked him over. Despite looking like Sassafras, he had already fallen in love with him. He sat at the edge of the bed and cradled him. “I think I will call you Rapid.”

Leaf cringed and stayed out Creek’s way. “Oops…” She whispered.

Sprout was in the medical pod. He came over and checked the baby. “He looks healthy Creek.” He smiled at him. “Congratulations…”

DJ Suki peeked around the corner. “Are you alright Creek?” She had heard him hollering in pain and wanted to make sure he was OK.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Creek eased into the bed and laid Rapid on his chest. He took a few deep breaths. He was going to stay for a little bit to catch his breath, but he had no plans of staying. Not with how cranky DJ Suki and Leaf were.

Leaf went back over to the bed DJ Suki was using. She picked up Cookie and cradled her. She felt protective of the week-old preemie, even though she was not her child.

Sassafras came in with Branch in his arms. He looked worried. He set Branch down in a medical bed. He was shaking. “Sprout, he fell in the bathroom and got knocked out. I’m worried about him and the babies.”

“He tripped over a toy.” Smidge had tears running down her cheeks. She was scared.

Sprout hurried over and began healing him. He put his hand on Branch’s belly and frowned, sensing one of the babies was in danger. “I need Honey. Hurry please.” He took Branch to the back room and prepared him for surgery. He was going to get these trollings out now.

Sassafras watched Sprout take Branch away. He hurried out the door and towards Honey’s flower pod.

Smidge broke down and began to cry. She wasn’t sure why Branch was taken back, but she knew it was bad if Sprout didn’t explain. She was terrified that she would lose him.

DJ Suki walked over to Smidge and pulled her into a hug. She looked worried. She had overheard what had happened.

Creek looked over in that direction and frowned. He hoped Branch and the triplets were alright.

Sassafras soon returned with Honey. He went over and hugged DJ Suki and Smidge tightly. He was crying. He didn’t want to lose Branch or any of the triplets.

Not long after Honey arrived, the back room erupted in baby cries. Sassafras tried to go in to peek, and found the door was locked. He frowned and leaned by the door. He was very worried.

About half an hour later, Honey came out with two of the babies. She gave one to Smidge, and the other to Sassafras. They both looked like they came from Creek. One was light teal like Branch, with green on the base, and blue at the tip, and the other looked exactly like Creek. “I just got Branch stable and healed. I’ll be right back with the third triplet. All three are girls.” She went and grabbed the third triplet. She was emerald green with royal blue hair. She returned and gave her to Sassafras. “This one was injured, but she should be fine now. I got her healed up.”

Sprout came out with Branch and got him settled in a bed. He was so glad his mother was able to help him. He was still trying to get use to staying calm during emergencies like that.

Branch was awake, and his incision was healed from the surgery. He was exhausted but was fine now. He looked at Smidge and smiled softly. “You’ve been crying.”

“Yes! You scared the hell out of me!” Smidge sniffled and walked over to him. “Darn you! Three more girls?! Geez…” She sat by him and gently gave him the daughter she was holding. “Watch where you are going next time.”

Sassafras looked relieved. He sat at the edge of the bed and breathed a sigh of relief.

DJ Suki looked relieved too. She backed off and headed back to her own medical bed to be with Cookie.

“Selene, Serenity, and…hmm…Infinity?” Branch suggested. He was exhausted but had been thinking of names for days now. He had been stuck in bed and had had a lot of time to think.

“Those names sound good Branch. I’m so glad you’re alright.” Smidge ran her hand through his royal blue hair. “I love you…”

“I love you too Smidge. I love you as well Sassy.” Branch smiled when they both leaned in for a kiss. He gave them each a kiss and then closed his eyes. He was very tired.

Creek listened to the babies’ cries. He was too tired to check, nor did he want to face the wrath of a Smidge. He wondered if any of the triplets were his babies. He would try to find out later. He hoped they were not so mad at him, that they wouldn’t let him at least help if any of them were his babies too. It was infuriating, but this whole situation had been beyond frustrating for them all.


	28. The Rainbow Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy’s sweet little baby is due. Will her broken heart be ready?

Another two months had gone by. Everything that was going on with Creek and DJ Suki had panned out. They had come to an agreement as far as who had the girls and when. They were back to getting along alright, but DJ Suki had refused all advances from Creek to get back together. She wasn’t going to have it. He had broken her heart. She had already talked to Leaf about getting married to her instead. She had been very appreciative of her and was happy to see that Leaf got her colors back. She really did look just like Branch. They had just got married a few days earlier. Cookie was doing much better too and didn’t seem to have any issues related to being born premature. DJ Suki was almost back to her pre-pregnancy weight too. She looked much better.

It was mid-summer, and preparations were being made for the mid-summer festivals. Poppy, Guy Diamond, and Fairy were not there this time. They were making their own preparations. Poppy was a couple days overdue for her baby, and the first of her contractions had begun.

At the royal flower pod, Fairy watched her hug time bracelet. “Three minutes apart. Let’s try it.” She walked towards the bathroom and began running a bath for Poppy. Poppy had been curious about giving birth in the warm water and wanted to see if it made a difference with the pain. Once the water was ready, Fairy came out and smiled. “It’s ready Poppy.”

Poppy got up and slowly made her way towards the tub. She eased into the water and laid back. She closed her eyes and breathed through the next contraction. It did help a little bit. “I think I like it Fairy.” She smiled softly.

Guy Diamond sat by the tub and rubbed Poppy’s shoulders. He was nervous. It had been a stressful pregnancy for Poppy. They had been worried this whole time that the little one wouldn’t make it. Life around the village had been stressful, and it wasn’t easy for any of them. Things were finally starting to smooth out after the tokami attacks. He was just glad she made it to term. “I love you Poppy.”

“I love you too Guy.” Poppy breathed and looked over at the other end of the tub. Fairy was watching for when the baby arrived. “I love you Fairy.”

“I love you both.” Fairy smiled and looked up at Poppy. “You’re doing a great job.”

Pearl wondered in and smiled as she stood by the bathtub. She was curious. “Are you OK mama?” The nine-year-old saw that Poppy was in pain.

“She’s about to have her baby sweetheart.” Guy Diamond smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. “Do you want to stay and help?”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Fairy smiled.

Poppy smiled softly and cringed during the next contraction. “It won’t be much longer. I am feeling pressure.”

“I would love to help.” Pearl smiled. “What do I do?”

“Grab a towel, and give it to mama when the baby comes, alright?” Guy Diamond positioned himself to help Poppy with the baby.

“I see the baby. Here we go…” Fairy leaned on the end of the tub and smiled. She was very excited.

Poppy cried out in pain as the baby emerged. She watched Guy Diamond pull her out of the water and smiled when she began letting out soft cries. She looked like her mama but had light pink hair. “She’s perfect…” Tears ran down her cheeks. She was so glad this baby was healthy.

Pearl gave the towel to Poppy and watched Guy Diamond clean up her baby sister. “Aww…she’s so pretty. Like a little pink Carnation.”

“That would make a lovely name.” Poppy smiled at Guy Diamond. “What do you think?” She looked at Fairy too.

“I like it.” Guy Diamond reached over and gave Poppy a kiss. “I’m so proud of you.”

“It’s a very pretty name.” Fairy walked over and gave Poppy a kiss as well. “Hello Carnation.” She reached over and ran her hand along the newborn’s cheek. “Welcome to the family.”

Pearl smiled and placed her hand on Carnation’s back. “I’m going to protect you sissy. I love you.” She was a proud big sister.

Poppy closed her eyes and sighed happily. It had only been just over ten months since she lost Angel, but having little Carnation gave her a sense of closure after the tragic events that happened during the previous early fall. She was so glad that everyone was moving on and having new families. She hoped that the peace would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ends part 2 of "The Family Curse." I have another action packed part 3 coming soon. Hope you all have enjoyed!


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